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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23244820">What's so special about you?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isitgaytowritefics/pseuds/Isitgaytowritefics'>Isitgaytowritefics</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>South Park</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Idiots in Love, Love Triangles, Reader-Insert, Romance, South Park: The Stick of Truth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:13:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>37,200</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23244820</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isitgaytowritefics/pseuds/Isitgaytowritefics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You, the future queen of the elven kingdom, wake up one morning at a thief's place after he had saved you from an attack.</p>
<p>But you had to go back to the castle, and he was going to be the one to help you once again.</p>
<p>Afteral, being the one who saved you, he deserved a reward from the elf king himself right?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Craig Tucker/Reader, Kyle Broflovski/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>200</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you for reading my first fic here! I want to apologize for any mistakes I might make, as english isn't my first language.</p>
<p>I'll be making a bit of changes to the Stick of truth universe, because it's way more fun to write it as if it was a real fantasy world ;)</p>
<p>Enjoy!&lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Your eyelids trembled as you were slowly waking up, the morning sunlight finding its way towards your face, disturbing your sleep. You didn't remember falling asleep, did someone bring you to bed? </p><p>You half opened your eyes, blinking a few times to get used to the light, before looking around at your surroundings.</p><p>You didn't recognize this room, but you weren't awake enough to get more than a twitch of your eyebrows as a reaction. Was this another room of the castle? It was strange, some furnitures looked fancy and new, but others looked almost destroyed and seemed to be in a great need of a bit of cleaning...</p><p>It was pretty packed; a lot of clothing, jewlery, a...an half empty plate of food...and-</p><p>Your eyes widened when they fell on a shirtless guy, casually getting dressed next to the bed you were laying on. Your entire body reacted as you immediately sat up on the mattress, legs still tangled in the sheets, staring at the unknown person.</p><p>"Finally awake? Damn." He said as he glanced at you, before finally putting a shirt on. "Relax, we didn't do anything." He told you while rolling his eyes, after seeing the look on your face.</p><p>You let out a sigh of relief after hearing his words, but it didn't last long since you knew you still were in an unknown place with a stranger. You blushed when you looked at him, this guy really had no problem getting dressed in front of someone he didn't know?</p><p>"W-Who are you ?" You finally asked, lips trembling.</p><p>"A thief. One who decided to be a good person for once." He answered, searching for something in the corner of the room, digging into the mess.</p><p>Now that explained why there was so much stuff in this room...</p><p>You took the time to take a look at yourself, making sure you did have all of your clothes on. That's when you felt a sharp and quick pain in the back of your head, making you whince.</p><p>"What happened?..." </p><p>He let out a sigh, too lazy to have this conversation. But hey, he did take you here at his place, might as well explain why, right?</p><p>"You got hit and lost conciousness at the elves castle last night. That's a good thing I was trying to rob the elf king at the same time humans wanted to fight him, I was able to find you before someone else did." </p><p>"The attack!" You said to yourself, remembering the event from last night. </p><p>He sat on the bed, lifting his feet as he started putting on his shoes.</p><p>Maybe he should've prepared his clothes before, he knew it might be weird to see a half naked guy when you open your eyes in the morning. But hey, he couldn't think about everything, he thought you'd stay asleep for a bit longer..</p><p>"Are you some kind of princess there? Cause your clothes are real fancy. Also, I took your ring as a way for you to thank me for saving you." He casually said while finishing lacing his boots.</p><p>"What? You can't!" You exclaimed as you grabbed his shoulder to turn him around. "I'm extremely grateful for what you've done, but please not the ring...Y-You can have my necklace!" You said with a nervous smile while starting to take it off. He stopped you from doing so.</p><p>"Something to remember dumbass; don't grab me again, I hate that." </p><p>He frowned, making you flinch a bit. He was still a stranger, and one who was obvioulsy stronger than you, judging by what you saw earlier...</p><p>"The ring looks way more expensive. What, is it a family inheritance?" He smirked as you furrowed your brows. </p><p>"..Just please give it back sir..." You nervously smiled, trying to make the atmosphere less stifling.</p><p>"I'm starting to get a bit interested, what's with the ring and fancy clothes, huh?" He asked, his lips still twisted into the same smirk.</p><p>"I'm sorry, but it isn't any of your buisness."</p><p>"I'll give it back if the story's entertaining enough."</p><p>You almost glared at him, but figured it could get you into trouble, and, he was still the man who had saved you. You had to stay polite.</p><p>"It's from the elf king, and I can't afford to loose it or else I'll get in trouble, because it comes from <strong>his</strong> family." </p><p>You looked at your hands, as you had started playing with your fingers to cope with the nervousness.</p><p>You looked at him for a second and unserstood, with his stare alone, that he was asking for you to continue.</p><p>"I-I didn't meet him yet, but I'm supposed to marry him soon. He was kind enough to offer me that ring, his guard brought it to me since he didn't have the time to do it himself." You blushed at the thought of the king offering you the ring he cherished. "That's why I really need you to give it back."</p><p>"Wait, so you're telling me you're in an arranged marriage with one of the most powerful guy in the country?"</p><p>He raised a brow at that, but then let out an amused chuckle.</p><p>"Are you expecting me to believe that? How do I know it's not a dumb excuse to get the ring back."</p><p>"It's the truth! Aren't my clothes, and the fact you found me at the castle proofs?"</p><p>"You look pretty young for marriage, what do you have that's so special?"</p><p>You didn't respond. You were sure you were the same age as that thief.</p><p>"I still have the ring." He said while it suddenly rolled between his fingers as he teased you. A thief was able to do that? Damn, they were good with their fingers. </p><p>"I don't know why, but it's an honor!" You quickly said as you tried to take back the ring from his hands, but he grabbed yours before you could do so.</p><p>He looked at you with a judgmental stare, before letting out a sigh.</p><p>"And you want me to belive your story with that?"</p><p>"I guess he was just really desesperate." You spat, trying to free yourself from his grip.</p><p>"I better be covered in gold if I find out I saved the future queen..." He mumbled to himself while letting you go.</p><p>He stared at you, thinking, before opening his mouth to talk.</p><p>"You know what, I'm keeping it until I find something about you that's worth giving up such jewelery."</p><p>"That's not fair!" You exclaimed as you tried getting up.</p><p>"Oh that's more than fai-"</p><p>You didn't realize the way your legs were held by the sheets, so you fell miserably on the floor. You heard him laugh, which angered you even more.</p><p>Letting out a loud frustrated growl, you stood up, helping yourself by placing a hand on your knee. You glared at him, clenching your fist as you did so.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"What do you mean 'what'?? You just stole something that's important to me!" You practically yelled.</p><p>"That's not a way to thank someone for helping you." He replied, crossing his arms the way a parent would do in front of a grounded child.</p><p>"I just told you why I needed it and you don't even care! I even offered my necklace to replace it, it's expensive as well!"</p><p>"But where's the fun in that?"</p><p>Fuck.</p><p>He was making fun of you, he was trying to drive you crazy. Come on (y/n), you had to stay calm, you were a future queen afterall. Speaking of queen...</p><p>"Is everything alright in the castle?" The words fell from your mouth.</p><p>"Already changing the subject? I don't know, I leaved before everything was over cause I was kind of stuck with an ungrateful girl."</p><p>Your eyelid twitched.</p><p>"I am very grateful sir." You said with the fakest smile.</p><p>He smirked, running a hand through his black hair and realizing something was missing.</p><p>He turned away from you, and started searching inside the multiple drawers of his room.</p><p>"Can you stop calling me 'sir', feels ridiculous." He let out, burrying his hands in a pile of weird stuff.</p><p>"If I knew your name, it would be easier, <strong>sir</strong>." You said, trying to mess with him just like he was doing with you.</p><p>"I should have left you on that tiled floor where you were laying." He glanced at you for a second, only to glare.</p><p>"But you didn't!"</p><p>You sighed, placing a strand of your hair behind your ear, back where it was supposed to be.</p><p>"Hey, look, I don't like this situation. Please, can we start this encounter over and be polite to each othe-"</p><p> </p><p>"Fuck off princess."</p><p> </p><p>Your jaw dropped. "Excuse me?!"</p><p>"ExCUse Me!" He imitated your voice, resulting in an irritating sound which only angered you more. "Where the fuck is it?" He muttered under his breath, going back to ignoring you.</p><p>"If I knew a person willing to help someone in need could be such a pain in the ass I-"</p><p>You slammed your hands over your mouth, realizing what you had just said. The people taking care of you at the castle would be so disapointed if they ever knew you talked like that to someone.</p><p>After all the trouble they went through to improve your attitude...</p><p>"What?" He asked, turning around to face you, confused.</p><p>"I can't say 'ass' in front of the king!" You exclaimed, your face red.</p><p>The thief blinked a few times, before once again laughing at you. You could only frown at his reaction.</p><p>"What the hell did they do to you back there?" He whiped a tear at the corner of his eyes. "Where you like that before?"</p><p>"Again, it's none of your buisness." You calmly said, despite wanting to punch him in the face. </p><p>"You do you I guess." He sighed, getting back to his searching. "What are you still doing here anyway? Shouldn't you go back to your beloved king?~" He talked like a child, trying to mess with you even more.</p><p>How could a single human being annoy you this much?</p><p>"You're the one who said you'd give me the ring back if you found something worth it or whatever, so I'm not leaving until I have it back around my finger!" You crossed your arms, taking a deep breath as you waited for a reply.</p><p>"Oh God...Why can't I keep my fucking mouth shut?" He told himself, visibly annoyed.</p><p>"What are you searching for anyway?"</p><p>He stared at you without saying anything for a few seconds, before his lips twisted into a smirk.</p><p>"It's none of your buisness."</p><p>"Ugh! That's it!" You exclaimed as you suddenly threw yourself at him in hope of getting back what belonged to you, and leave.</p><p>"What the he-"</p><p>He didn't have the time to finish before he found himself on the ground, you on top of him, determined to find the ring.</p><p>"Where is it thief!" You tried to threaten him with the angriest look you could manage to make, but it only made him chuckle.</p><p>"Are you serious?"</p><p>"Give it back and I'll leave you alone!" You said.</p><p>Seeing as he wasn't going to cooperate, you started letting your hands fall down his chest to his hips, searching for hidden pockets. </p><p>"Wha-"</p><p>Without any warnings, you lifted his shirt to see if it could be underneath, but you couldn't find it. His face immediately turned red, were you not realizing what you were doing exactly? Or were you seriously that focused on getting the ring back?</p><p>He harshly and easily pushed you off of him, as you let out a yelp when your butt hit the floor. He quickly stood up and took a step away from you.</p><p>"A-Are you crazy??" He yelled, cursing at himself for the way he stuttered.</p><p>You pointed at him in a threatening way, still filled with determination. "I give you one last chance thief!"</p><p>"Fuck you!" He exclaimed, trying to get rid of the heat in his face as he flipped you off.</p><p>"Oh, real mature I see!"</p><p>"You just threw yourself at me!"</p><p>You clenched your fist, trying to contain your anger towards this man. (Y/n), you shouldn't act like that, that's not the behaviour the woman you had to become had to have.</p><p>You stood up as well, dusting your now wrinkled clothes and fixing your hair to try to look more presentable. You then cleared your throat.</p><p>"Listen, how about we make a deal?" You suggested.</p><p>"There's no way I'm making a deal with the devil."</p><p>"Seriously!" You cleared your throat once again. "I swear you'll win in the end."</p><p>"Better be good enough then."</p><p>"Great." You smiled. "Let's make it quick; if you help me go back to the castle, as I'm sure your house is pretty far away from it, and give back the ring then I'll make sure you're able to take what you want from the castle! Without it being the castle itself of course. And then you're free of doing whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt anybody, I can even make sure our guards leave you alone. This is more than generous!"</p><p>Maybe you were lying a tiny bit, but that's only because you didn't know if the king would let you do that. Otherwise you'll stay true to your words.</p><p>"But what if you lied about the whole fiancée thing?" He replied, giving you a suspicious look.</p><p>"Then it's simple, you get to keep the ring."</p><p>"Is it really that expensive ?"</p><p>"You have no idea." You smirked, trying to look confident despite the small bead of sweat threatening to fall down your forehead.</p><p>He paused for a bit, thinking about this deal and if it was worth it. In any case, he's going to win something big, pretty big even, if he thinks about what amount of money, and the freedom you could give to him.</p><p>He didn't say any words, he simply offered his hand for you to shake. Your eyes lightened as you couldn't fight back the smile slowly forming on your face.</p><p>You quickly grabbed his hand with the both of yours, and clumsily shook it.</p><p>"My name's (y/n), by the way." You grinned, you had successfully handled this situation on your own.</p><p>"I didn't ask." He then sighed, seeing the way your smile dropped. "But since we're going to spend some time with each other..."</p><p>He rolled his eyes </p><p>"I'm Craig."</p><p>You were so proud of yourself right now.</p><p>"Now, in honor of our new start, Craig, can I help you find that thing you've been searching for?"</p><p>He sighed. "I guess you can. It's a blue hat, with a ye-"</p><p>"Like that thing right there?" You said, pointing at something behind him.</p><p>He hesitantly turned around, and his eyes slightly widened when he saw his precious hat carefully placed on top of a pile of books.</p><p>"How-"</p><p>"You should really clean your room."</p><p>"For the love of God, shut up."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So we're here, right?" You asked, pointing at one part of the map Craig had placed on the wooden table inside the kitchen, where you had decided to stay as it wasn't as filled as his room.</p>
<p>"Yeah, it's not that far from the castle, but still."</p>
<p>"How did you bring me here in one night?" You raised your eyebrow, confused. If he took you here that fast, why couldn't you go back just as fast?</p>
<p>"Some random dude brought me here with his cart, cause he saw you uncounciouss on my back. He was pretty fast."</p>
<p>"How kind of him." You smiled to yourself. "Why can't we ask for help again ?" You turned your gaze away from the map to look at him, only to see him already staring at you with a weird judgmental look on his face. Kind of like a mix of surprise, concentration, and disapointment.</p>
<p>"Are you dumb? Or did the blow to your head damaged your brain?"</p>
<p>"Hey!"</p>
<p>"I'm a wanted thief you dumbass princess, the only reason the guy helped me was because I was lucky he didn't recognize me. I didn't seek for his help."</p>
<p>"Why do you have a house then?"</p>
<p>"Because I need one? It's isolated enough from the others."</p>
<p>"You can't desguise yourself?" You said. "That's an easy thing to do."</p>
<p>"I won't take the risk to get caught, walking isn't that long and it's safer if it's just us. Plus it'll train your weak ass a bit, so you'll be useful next time the castle gets attacked."</p>
<p>"I'm not that weak." You mumbled under your breath. "I was just caught by surprise."</p>
<p>"By the way, you don't even look like you're in pain." He said, lightly smacking the back of your head as you slapped his hand away.</p>
<p>"That's not a reason to hit it more! You didn't even try bandage it, too.." You let out a sigh. "That's because I'm an elf, we heal faster than humans."</p>
<p>"You're not an elf."</p>
<p>"What the- Have you seen the way I look?" You exclaimed, pointing at yourself.</p>
<p>"You may have the ears, but not the rest."</p>
<p>You gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"I can smell it." You laughed when you heard his words.</p>
<p>"Seriously, don't be ridiculous."</p>
<p>"I could tell you the same thing." He looked up from your feet to your face. "I guess I'll just wait for you to admit it, because I know I'm right."</p>
<p>"Um, let's go back to the map, okay?" You looked at him with the same confused look. Who does he think he is?</p>
<p>He only hummed in response, taking a step away from you to reach one of the closets in the kitchen. He took out a cup from the inside of it, a simple wooden one.</p>
<p>He placed it on the table, then went to grab a jug full of water, and poured some inside of it before putting the thing back where it was. He then pointed at somewhere on the map, going back to the conversation.</p>
<p>"We'll be going this way." He said, gulping down his drink while you watched him carefully like a hawk with its prey. "What?" He asked, placing the cup back on the table and looking at you.</p>
<p>You felt your throat getting more and more dry simply by the fact you saw him drink.</p>
<p>"Can I have some too, please?"</p>
<p>"You got legs and arms, don't expect me to put it right in your hand." </p>
<p>"I was just making sure I was allowed to."</p>
<p>" 'kay." </p>
<p>"Let's just get this thing over with, so you won't have to deal with me anymore." You sighed, repeating his actions as you took out another cup and poured yourself some water, drinking it as fast as you could so you could go back to talking about how you'll be going home.</p>
<p>You looked back at the map, expecting him to do so as well, but he kept staring at you for a few more seconds.</p>
<p>"So, we're still not sure if the humans stayed in the castle or if they were defeated." Your heart dropped at your own words, the thought of the elves loosing against their enemy was scaring you. Wait.</p>
<p>That made you realize something.</p>
<p>"Craig."</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"Why aren't you with them?" You asked the question you should've asked from the begining.</p>
<p>"Who?"</p>
<p>"Kupa keep."</p>
<p>"Oh. What? Scared I kidnapped you?" He wanted to smirk, but then thought you were probably serious. Which you were.</p>
<p>You only stared at him. You weren't important in the kingdom yet, so you doubted that, you just needed to make sure he wasn't on their side.</p>
<p>He didn't respond at first, but then he decided to say something, rubbing his temples as he did so.</p>
<p>"Ugh...Dumbass, not every human has to be on fata– the grand wizard king's side. I'm a loner."</p>
<p>"Alright, sorry."</p>
<p>He didn't know why he didn't at least mention that he was in fact with them before, and that he betrayed them later. Maybe he didn't want to risk loosing his reward for helping you.</p>
<p>"Why do you keep calling me dumbass by the way? That's rude." You were back to glaring at him.</p>
<p>"Suits you better than your name, in my opinion." He casually let out. You didn't even want to reply to that.</p>
<p>"...Anyway, when will we be leaving?"</p>
<p>"First, we need to make sure no human is left at the castle before you come back. Don't want you getting killed."</p>
<p>"R-Right. How?"</p>
<p>"You'll talk with the villagers who live nearby."</p>
<p>"Me?"</p>
<p>"Of course you."</p>
<p>"Jeez..How do you do it when you need to get food and stuff to take care of yourself? You need to talk to people for that."</p>
<p>He raised his eyebrows, waiting for you to understand.</p>
<p>"Oh. Right, thief thing." You let out an awkward laugh.</p>
<p>"I'll take you there, and then it's up to you. Understand?" You nod. "But first you need to take those clothes off."</p>
<p>"Excuse me what?"</p>
<p>"You can't go in a village with a fancy dress like that, you'll get robbed for sure."</p>
<p>"Funny coming from you...I didn't know you'd have women clothes in here." You giggled lightly.</p>
<p>"I don't, you'll just wear my clothes."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Here you were, being a miniatute version of Craig, looking like a lost child.</p>
<p>"Aren't you so happy princess." He said, pinching your cheek as he talked in the most disgusting childish voice.</p>
<p>You growled, pulling your head away from his grip while trying to tuck the huge black shirt inside the just as big pair of pants he had given you as well. At least you had a belt to keep it in place.</p>
<p>But God, what if it fell down in front of everyone...You shivered at the thought.</p>
<p>How tall was this guy anyway? 6'3? No wonder you were floating in his clothes.</p>
<p>You didn't notice him stare at you in his clothes, as if he was proud of his work. </p>
<p>"Do you have another cape like the one you're wearing? It could hide all this mess.." You asked, pointing at the piece of clothing wrapped around his shoulders.</p>
<p>"No, it's just like my hat; I only have one and I'll never throw it or give it to anyone." He almost sounded offended.</p>
<p>"That's gross."</p>
<p>"I still wash them you idiot." He rolled his eyes, as he bent down to fix a button of your shirt. Well, his shirt.</p>
<p>You chuckled, your attention now on Craig's hat. It was pretty funny, the kind of hat you didn't see often. Honestly, it looked like something a child would wear, so maybe he had it since he was little? </p>
<p>A snap of his fingers brought you back to reality.</p>
<p>"Don't stare, that's weird." He said, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Anyway, let's go now. We don't have to take anything, we'll get back here anyway."</p>
<p>You nod, fixing 'your' clothes one last time before following the man outside. You still hadn't see what it looked like outside of his house; both windows inside his room and kitchen were covered with curtains. It was thin enough to let the light in, but you couldn't clearly see what was behind, and it wasn't your first priority when you were inside anyway.</p>
<p>You just didn't think of it.</p>
<p>But you didn't regret it, because the surprise you got from seeing the view was worth it. It was just like the beautiful paintings you had the chance to see at the castle; green grass everywhere, with pretty and colorful flowers glues together next to a huge tree...You saw that Craig's house was on top of a small hill, where you could see a village at what seemed to be only a few minutes away.</p>
<p>Thinking of the way you compared the view to art, you really could thank the king for that...as you weren't the richest today.</p>
<p>You were extremely lucky to end up at the castle, you wouldn't have to struggle with money anymore. You smiled at the thought. But, did you deserve all of that? You didn't even know him.</p>
<p>A small high-pitched sound cut you out of your thoughts, as you stopped staring at the beautiful mountains in the distance to see what could have made this sound. You understood when you saw Craig, sitting on the ground, a cat rubbing its head against his palm.</p>
<p>Your eyes softened at the view of the small animal, and you slowly made your way towards them, hoping you could pet the cat as well.</p>
<p>"It's a girl." Craig said, breaking the silence between the two of you.</p>
<p>"Is she yours?" You asked, bending down to take a closer look at her.</p>
<p>She had beautiful white fur, but she was covered in dirt from rolling around on the grass, playing with the thief's fingers.</p>
<p>"No, that bitch just comes here everyday to take a shit in my garden. I can't grow anything because of her."</p>
<p>"Don't call a cat a bitch..." You said, still admiring how cute it was. "I bet she knows you're rude to people, that's why she does that." You grinned.</p>
<p>You didn't have the time to pet her before you felt a harsh push against your arm, making you fall on the side and roll down the hill until you hit a pile of hay, stopping you from going further. You had to blink a few times to stop your head from spinning, before you opened your mouth to yell at Craig.</p>
<p>But you didn't, because you saw that he was laughing.</p>
<p>This laugh wasn't like the ones you had already heard from him, this one sounded more genuine, his mouth was opened and he wasn't covering it with his hand. He had his arms wrapped around his stomach, while he made fun of the way you had fallen.</p>
<p>You couldn't help but smile; he had been rude at times, but you had to admit that this scene was pretty cute. It almost made you want to forgive him for pushing you.</p>
<p>"You idiot! I could've gotten injured!" You tried to sound mad, but you couldn't hide the amusement in your voice. His laugh was just really contagious.</p>
<p>You climbed back the hill as he calmed himself down, the cat being scared of how loud he had been.</p>
<p>"Why do you hide your mouth when you laugh?" The words rolled down your tongue as you saw him still smiling, too curious for your own good.</p>
<p>He lost it as soon as he heard you, going back to his emotionless face.</p>
<p>"Fuck off."</p>
<p>"Come on, why? You have a great smile from what I saw, why hide it?" You chuckled, you didn't know why you were complimenting him.</p>
<p>He paused for a few seconds, before looking back at you.</p>
<p>"Youthinkso?" He quickly said, you had to take a bit of time to understand what he had meant.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I wouldn't lie about that." You let out an amused sigh. "So?"</p>
<p>He raised his arm to scratch the back of his neck. "People kept telling me I had a crooked smile when I was a kid, I tried my best to change it but the idea of having ugly teeth stuck with me I guess."</p>
<p>You understood what he felt. You remembered a few children picking on you about something when you were a child as well. But you couldn't remember what it was about...You still felt sad about it despite not knowing why you got laughed at for.</p>
<p>"I see." You said as you readjusted the clothes who got messy during the fall. "Well, you can trust me when I say it's way cuter when we can see your smile while you laugh."</p>
<p>"I don't care any– wait what?"</p>
<p>"What what?"</p>
<p>"What do you mean 'cuter'?"</p>
<p>Your face turned red in an instant.</p>
<p>"N-No! That's not what I meant ! I- um...It's nicer! Yeah!" You tried to explain yourself, which only made him smirk.</p>
<p>"Hurry up and get your ass to the village now." He simply said.</p>
<p>"R-Right!" You exclaimed. "I'll be back soon!"</p>
<p>On that, you turned around and started speed walking away, almost falling down the hill again but carefully getting back on your feet. You didn't even remember that he was supposed to accompagny you on your way. Instead, Craig watched you get out of his sight, before taking the cat who was just waiting here on the side in his arms, laying down on the grass.</p>
<p>He looked the small thing in the eyes, as a small bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.</p>
<p>"Why did I have to bring this damn girl here?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Now, don't panick (y/n), that wasn't a big deal. You were just alone in a place you didn't know anything about.</p>
<p>Fuck. You should have thought about that earlier.</p>
<p>At least you didn't have to hide your ears, as you were still within the elven kingdom territory, so you were safe from angry humans for now. You walked around in the streets, playing with a strand of your hair to help you cope with the stress of being here.</p>
<p>You lived alone back at your own house in town, what changed? Yeah, maybe the fact you had never been in this village before.</p>
<p>You took a deep breath, taking the time to look at your surroundings; it should be easy to just stop someone walking by and ask them.</p>
<p>It didn't help that you were still embarrassed from earlier...Craig was still practically a stranger, yet it felt just as if you were talking with a friend. Almost. Like just a little bit.</p>
<p>Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you finally approached someone.</p>
<p>"E-Excuse me?" You said to an old lady, who was looking at freshly baked bread resting on a plate behind the bakery's window. She turned around to look at you, surprised.</p>
<p>"Oh! What is it sweetie?" She asked with a smile, readjusting her glasses, which were starting to fall down her nose.</p>
<p>Why did it feel so rewarding when an older woman gave you a cute nickname?</p>
<p>"I was wondering if you knew anything about what happened with the humans last night, at the castle..." You said, rubbing the back of your neck with your palm. "If you do know about it."</p>
<p>"Oh dear yes! Such a horrible thing to do, attacking someone by surprise like that."</p>
<p>They weren't going to send a letter to the elves before entering the castle..</p>
<p>"Well I guess that's how war is nowadays." You let out a sigh.</p>
<p>"Why are you asking me about that?"</p>
<p>"Ah, right! Do you know if humans are still here? Or have they been already defeated? It's just, um, I wanted to be sure things were okay."</p>
<p>"I don't know, but I'm sure the king took care of them easily, just like he always does." She smiled.</p>
<p>"O-Of course! Thank you."</p>
<p>"You don't have to be scared, honey. Him and his army are there to protect us." She said, rubbing your shoulder in a reassuring way.</p>
<p>"You're right." You forced a smile.</p>
<p>"Have you seen how good the bread looks today?" She exclaimed, completely changing the subject as she pointed at it.</p>
<p>"Huh? Ah, yes, it looks rather tasty." You let out a chuckle.</p>
<p>"Here, let me get some for both you and me." She said, turning around to get inside the bakery.</p>
<p>"Oh, I don't have any money to pay for-"</p>
<p>"I didn't ask for you to pay!" She laughed. "It's a nice day today, and I feel like eating good food with some great company."</p>
<p>"But-"</p>
<p>"Come on dear, you're not going to say no to a poor lonely woman?"</p>
<p>Your nervously smiled as you looked at her; you felt embarrassed by that, you didn't want to 'steal' her money..But it looked like she wasn't going to give up, so, might as well have a good time talking?</p>
<p>"Alright, thank you." </p>
<p>"Wonderful. Come with me, maybe you can ask your questions to Charles."</p>
<p>"Charles?"</p>
<p>"The baker! He's a smart guy, and loves politics, I'm sure he'll be able to give you a better response than mine."</p>
<p>"Really? That's great! Thanks again."</p>
<p>You opened the door for her before she could, earning a small giggle, as well as a 'I remember when the boys used to fight each others to open doors for me'. You smiled at her, Craig really was missing something by not coming to this village.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"You remind me of my guinea pig." Craig told the cat, as it was eating a small piece of meat he had given her. "But just a tiny bit, he was way, waay better than you."</p>
<p>As if she had understood him, she stopped eating for a few seconds only to stare at him.</p>
<p>"What? Don't expect me to lie just so I won't hurt your feelings."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I'm sorry miss, for once I'm not sure about what happened." The baker replied, handing you and the old lady, who's name you had learned was Marie, some bread accompanied with some [flavor] jam to give it more flavor. "The news are taking time to arrive here, we're pretty isolated. It's a chance someone informed us about the attack right after it had happened."</p>
<p>"It's alright." You smiled. "It's just that I really want to know if everything's going well at the castle. I'm worried about the king."</p>
<p>"Oh, you don't have to! He's a brave young man, I'm sure he easily took care of that." Charles replied, letting out a strong laugh.</p>
<p>"You're right." You smiled, flinching a bit at how loud he had been.</p>
<p>"Speaking about him, I heard he found himself a fiancée." Marie giggled.</p>
<p>"I-Is that so?" You turned around to go sit with her at the small table in front of the counter. So everyone already knew huh?</p>
<p>"I heard that too, it's nice to know he'll have heirs to the trone soon."</p>
<p>You made a face.</p>
<p>"Oh, can't you be more poetic for once!" The old lady frowned. "He's getting married because he's in love."</p>
<p>"Are you sure he is?" The world fell from your mouth without you realizing, you had the faintest blush on your cheeks. You didn't want to say it out loud.</p>
<p>"Don't be silly, have you ever seen him from afar? Or hear him talk? He doesn't look like the type to marry someone he doesn't know."</p>
<p>Yet that was exactly what he was doing...</p>
<p>"I guess." You awkwardly chuckled.</p>
<p>"Ah, women, always dreaming about love." The baker laughed, earning a look from the old lady.</p>
<p>Your mind drifted somewhere else, as you couldn't help but remember the first time you saw him from afar. What caught your eyes at first were his red curls, mostly because you were too far away to see what his face looked like.</p>
<p>Still, you thought it was cute. You wondered if he had freckles as well, since his hair were ginger...</p>
<p>"Sweetie?" You jumped when you heard Marie calling you. "Aren't you eating?" She asked, with the look of a mother caring for her child.</p>
<p>"Ah! Yes of course, thanks again by the way." You smiled before taking a bite out of the food. "It's delicious!" You turned to Charles.</p>
<p>"Family recipe." He grinned, his mouth almost hidden by his big mustache and beard. "You seem surprised, haven't you bought my bread before?" He asked, scared he might have a rival in the village.</p>
<p>"Oh, I don't live here sir." You replied.</p>
<p>"You're traveling without any money?" Marie asked, confused.</p>
<p>"No, um, I'm..." You paused for a bit. "I'm visiting a friend. And I forgot my money at his house." You chuckled.</p>
<p>"I see. Well, don't hesitate to come back here when you can! I'll welcome you with some nice food." He smiled.</p>
<p>"My door's open if you ever need help, dear." </p>
<p>"You're both too kind." You laughed. "I won't forget."</p>
<p>You never met people like that. They seemed so happy, and they were so nice it almost didn't feel as if it was real. Next time you'll come back, it will be as a queen, and you'll make sure these two get a nice gift.</p>
<p>Speaking of that...It's the second time you're thinking about giving something to people, but you're not sure if you'll be able to. You're not even married, yet here you were already talking about giving away what belonged to the king...Plus, you didn't know if you would ever have the power to take this kind of decision. But it's not like you wanted to declare war against some unknown population, you just wanted to thank people who had helped you.</p>
<p>You tried not to think about that, and instead continued to discuss about random things with the two. It was nice and fun, you almost forgot you had to leave at one point.</p>
<p>Until you realized how long it had been since you had entered the bakery. You were enjoying yourself to the point you hadn't noticed how the sky had changed when you looked out the window.</p>
<p>"It's already this late!" You exclaimed, quickly standing up.</p>
<p>"I didn't even realize." Marie laughed.</p>
<p>"I'm really sorry, I have to hurry up and get back to my friend...Thank you both so much for the bread and the fun afternoon!" You showed them your brightest smile, as you hurried to exit, waving at them.</p>
<p>"Such a cute girl." She said, letting out a sigh.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't have guessed she would know so much about the castle, she must be just as interested in that as I am."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You ran until you had reached the small hill where Craig lived, and stopped for a bit to catch your breath, you felt guilty for being out this long even though Craig hadn't asked for you to be back at a certain time. You didn't owe him anything either..</p>
<p>The sky was just starting to get red, you really had stayed a long time with them.They were just so nice! You were still surprised about it.</p>
<p>Obviously, Craig wasn't outside anymore. You shyly knocked on his door, waiting for him to come out.</p>
<p>It took him almost a minute to open the door, you already had your fist raised and ready to knock again when he suddenly appeared in front of you.</p>
<p>"I–" You started, but he didn't let you finish as he begun talking.</p>
<p>"Thought you had leaved without getting the ring back." He said. "But oh, you're here."</p>
<p>He scratched his cheek for a bit, while you both stared into each other's eyes.</p>
<p>"I didn't see the time go by, sorry." You hesitantly said.</p>
<p>"Okay? That's not my problem."</p>
<p>"Um.."</p>
<p>He let out a sigh, then stepped aside to let you in. You thought he wouldn't, what a surprise. "Thanks." You told him.</p>
<p>"So? What did you learn?"</p>
<p>"Well, no one's sure about what's happening. But they told me the king must have taken care of the situation." You really just asked two people, but hey, maybe nobody knew as well.</p>
<p>"Just great." He frowned. </p>
<p>An awkward silence fell between the two of you, which hadn't happened since you woke up on his bed. Weird, you thought it would have settled in earlier in the day.</p>
<p>You didn't know what to say, but then decided you could at least try, to make yourself less nervous.</p>
<p>"People from the vill-" "We're still leaving tomo-"</p>
<p>You both talked at the same time, making it impossible to understand for you.</p>
<p>"What ?" He said.</p>
<p>"People from the village are really nice, you're missing out." You finished.</p>
<p>"Good for them. What do you want me to say?"</p>
<p>"Nothing. It just sucks to know you're always alone while there's such kind people a few minutes away." You sighed.</p>
<p>"That's what you think, on my behalf, I really don't give a fuck. I like the life I'm living, I don't have to be surrounded by people giving me attention as if I were engaged to a king."</p>
<p>You were just trying to make a small talk, he didn't have to be rude like that. And he especially didn't have to make fun of you at the end.</p>
<p>You decided you prefered staring at the floor instead of glaring at him, you had already done that enough times today. You chewed on the inside of your mouth, a bad habit you had when you were in an uncomfortable situation.</p>
<p>He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, we're still leaving tomorrow. If humans are at the castle we'll learn it on the way."</p>
<p>You didn't respond, still focused on the floor.</p>
<p>"You heard me?"</p>
<p>"Why did you help me?" You asked, finally looking back at him.</p>
<p>"Huh?" He let out, raising an eyebrow at you.</p>
<p>"Why did you help me when I was uncounciouss Craig? If you prefer to stay alone, why even bother bringing someone at your house?"</p>
<p>He seemed taken aback by your words, as his eyes slightly widened. Only for a second.</p>
<p>"Why are you-"</p>
<p>"It kinda hurts when you try to be nice and you just get made fun of in response." You said, rubbing the side of your arm with your hand.</p>
<p>"You've been a pain in the ass as well." He tried to defend himself, crossing his arms. "I'm just-"</p>
<p>You sighed. "N-No, you're right. I'm sorry for bothering you like that. I shouldn't have put you on the spot for such a stupid reason. Forgive me for being rude." You apologized, you shouldn't have tried to confront him.</p>
<p>That's not very ladylike.</p>
<p>He stayed silent for a few seconds, before letting out a loud, annoyed sigh.</p>
<p>"You need to stop doing that. It's getting on my nerves."</p>
<p>"What?" You asked, confused.</p>
<p>"If you have something to say, fucking say it instead of stopping yourself from doing so."</p>
<p>You looked at him weirdly. "What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"It's like two girls are inside of you; there's the normal you, I guess, and then there's the you with a broom up her ass. That's annoying as fuck." He explained, moving his hands around as he did so.</p>
<p>"W-What?"</p>
<p>"One moment you're acting like a normal person, talking to me like we're on the same level, and after you suddenly act as if you were royalty."</p>
<p>"I-"</p>
<p>"But you're not! I'm pretty sure you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth, so stop talking like that."</p>
<p>"Like what?" You raised your voice, furrowing your brows.</p>
<p>"Like a real fucking princess." He did so as well. "At least one time don't refrain from calling me an asshole. It's so frustrating to see you acting like yourself and then right after apologizing for it, because that's how the fuckers at the castle want you to act." </p>
<p>You clenched your fist. You didn't even apologized that much, you were simply acting like a normal person! Who does he think he is?</p>
<p>"Can you understand? I'm about to marry a king! A GODDAMN KING! I'll be meeting so many rich people, so many important people...I can't embarrass him or myself by talking the way a peasant would talk, it's way more important to not feel out of place rather than being scared of annoying you!" You pressed your index finger on his chest. "I don't even know why I'm there, it's a blessing, but I wasn't prepared for such a big thing to happen to me! Yet I can't afford to loose this opportunity, that's why I asked that they teach me how to improve myself." You tried to calm yourself down, knowing that you were overreacting. </p>
<p>"But are you seriously willing to loose yourself for that? You don't even seem to talk as if you didn't have any manners; if you keep acting like that you won't even remember how to make a damn joke."</p>
<p>You frowned.</p>
<p>"I'm not going to forget who I am...I'm just learning how to act better." You sighed. "Why do you even care? We don't know each other."</p>
<p>"You're taking the risk for money and power?" He ignored your question.</p>
<p>"I'm not a damn gold digger! You're the thief between the two of us." You spat. "Why-"</p>
<p>"Then why the hell would you bother?"</p>
<p>Why was he so persistant? It wasn't his problem was it? He would just have to wait a day or two and never deal with you again, so just why does he keep bothering you with that?</p>
<p>Why did he have to continue, he was only making things worse. And now you couldn't keep your damn mouth shut.</p>
<p>"Because I'm so fucking alone you asshole!" You snapped. "I was alone for as long as I can remember, I can't afford to loose that marriage!"</p>
<p>You felt so weak, hating yourself for telling him so much, and loosing your temper this fast. Yet you just had to let it out.</p>
<p>Because you didn't want anyone to think badly of you.</p>
<p>"I-It just feels so good to know someone acknowledges your existence! I'm surrounded by people at the castle who seem happy to know that I'm here, all because he wants to marry me. Me out of all the people! I don't even know why. I woke up with guards at my door one morning, and then I found myself being the future queen." </p>
<p>You could feel yourself start to tremble. No, you didn't want to cry, not in front of someone like Craig. You had to fight and hold it in.</p>
<p>Maybe he thought you were stupid. Even if he was the king, you had agreed to marry a complete stranger just because poor little you felt lonely.</p>
<p>"I'm not like you, I'm tired of being alone. I just want someone to let me know that, maybe, I'm loved."</p>
<p>You hid your face in your hands, trying to hide yourself. You didn't want to cry<strong>, </strong>you couldn't cry..You felt so ridiculous.</p>
<p>Craig didn't know what to do, he hadn't expected you to react like that. What was that weird feeling...Was it guilt? No, it's been too long since he felt guilty for something.</p>
<p>But damn, making you snap like that wasn't really a rewarding feeling. He just tried to make a point, you really were getting on his nerves, it was making him feel like you tried to act as if you were better than him.</p>
<p>He didn't need you to remind him that.</p>
<p>He let out a sigh, thinking it was the only thing he could do right now, before trying to decide what he could do. You were still trembling, quietly cursing at yourself while trying to stop.</p>
<p>It wasn't like you could have denied the king's 'proposal', because duh, he was the all mighty elf king. But did you seriously not mind having to do all of the things a marriage included? Were you okay with not being able to find someone you truly loved? Not that he really cared about it, but still.</p>
<p>Suddenly, he remembered how he did with his little sister when he was still a kid. She'd cry or yell when she was upset, and their parents would obviously hear, then Craig would get in trouble even though half of the time he wasn't even the one at fault. He learned how to calm her down before anyone could hear.</p>
<p>Slowly, he brought his hand on top of your head, making you jump a little, as you hadn't expected that. He started to stroke your hair in a very gentle manner. Surprisingly, it didn't feel awkward or weird, it gave you a reassuring feeling.</p>
<p>"Then at least act normal while you're with me. Otherwise I'll kick your ass."</p>
<p>You couldn't help but let out a small laugh, maybe he won't look at you as if you were the weakest person he'd ever met. He'll probably even forget about all the things you told about yourself.</p>
<p>"I-I'm sorry for acting like that, I know what I said sound ridiculous." You sniffed.</p>
<p>He never actually thought that thing would work, he had expected you to just slap his hand away. But hey, apprently it was all he needed to do to make you feel better. </p>
<p>"Everyone has their problems." He simply replied, as he slowly stopped stroking the top of your head.</p>
<p>"Thank you."</p>
<p>He didn't respond to that, instead, he walked away to enter his room.</p>
<p>"Also, I don't have any other bed in this house, so you'll be sleeping on the floor." He rubbed the back of his neck. "If you're hungry just search in the kitchen and grab whatever you want."</p>
<p>On that, he leaved you alone to realize what he had just said.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Kind of unsure about this chapter, but hey, gotta keep the story going! Hope you still enjoyed anyway &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Craig did make you sleep on the floor.</p>
<p>You could see him sleeping peacefully on his king sized bed, rolling around while letting out a groan.</p>
<p>Of course he had given you a pillow and a big blanket, but still, you couldn't help but glare at him from accross the room. </p>
<p>You sighed, feeling extremely embarrassed. You really had overreacted earlier..You said too much, you just hoped it wasn't going to make things more awkward between you and him. Were you really that annoying? It didn't matter anymore anyway.</p>
<p>As you continued to get lost in your thoughts, something flashed accross your mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What if the king found someone else during the time you were gone?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You had been so lucky, you wouldn't be able to live knowing you had lost such a chance.</p>
<p>You shook your head, not wanting to think about that for now, as it wasn't doing you any good.</p>
<p>Eventually, you managed to fall asleep, but not after almost an hour of moving around to try and find a comfortable position. You didn't even know if you had found one, you were just so tired your eyes had closed on their own.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>"<em>(Y/n)?"</em></p>
<p>
  <em>"..What have you done..?"</em>
</p>
<p>-------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You woke up.</p>
<p>What kind of dream was that? You could hear a child's voice, judging by how high pitched it was, talking to you, and that was it.. </p>
<p>You looked around, seeing that it was still dark. How long had you been sleeping? Probably only a bit.</p>
<p>You were tired, yet you didn't want to go back to sleep yet. Maybe you could go get some fresh air for a moment? Yeah, it sounded great.</p>
<p>You couldn't help but think about what you had heard. Usually your dreams were either forgotten right after you wake up, or they were extremely weird. But this one was another kind of weird, it felt too real.</p>
<p>Why would you hear a children's voice? Meeting Craig had completely messed up your mind (y/n).</p>
<p>You tried your best to not think about it, and eventually you did manage to get you focused on something else.</p>
<p>You smiled to yourself, thinking about what the beautiful landscape in front of the house might look like at night. Even though you probably wouldn't see a thing.</p>
<p>If only you knew how to use magic, you could have made fire only with the tip of your finger! Craig probably had some matches in there that you could use.</p>
<p>You needed a candle as well, but lucky for you you could already see one resting on his desk; maybe the matches were right next to it? You were grateful that the bit of light coming from the moon was allowing you to see what you were doing.</p>
<p>You even thought that maybe you didn't need the candle in the end, but still decided it was better with it.</p>
<p>You slowly got up, not wanting to wake up Craig. Surprisingly, you were sure that he wasn't the type to be in a great mood if he was woken up by someone.</p>
<p>You tiptoed your way towards the desk, then carefully grabbed the candle with one hand, and started searching in the drawer with the other. Just how much stuff had he in his room? This was filled to the point you didn't know how he could have even closed it.</p>
<p>You felt a small square shaped object with the tip of your fingers, and tried your best to get it out without making everything else fall. But apparently, a little wooden box had other plans for you, as it fell out of the drawer.</p>
<p>Your eyes widened as you quickly moved your foot forward so it would land on it, not realizing you had removed your shoes before going to sleep. Damn reflexes.</p>
<p>The object did fall on top of your foot, not making any sound as it was sliding down your skin to the floor. You thought you were going to scream when you felt the sharp pain of the box stabbing your foot, but you managed to bite your lips right in time to keep it in.</p>
<p>"FffffuuUuuUuuuUckkk-" You quietly moaned, feeling a small tear escape your eyes as you sat down, placing your hands on your throbbing skin and rolling down the floor while whispering hateful things towards the wooden object.</p>
<p>At least Craig didn't wake up.</p>
<p>You let out a shaky sigh, clumsily standing up to finally find the matches. Luckily, what you had felt with your fingers was exactly what you had been searching for.</p>
<p>You lit the candle before placing the matches back in the drawer, wanting to get as far away from this desk as soon as possible.</p>
<p>You couldn't help but flip off the box on the floor before exiting the room, without bothering to pick it up, despite feeling childish while doing so. It hurt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You smiled to yourself, your head resting on your palm as you were sitting on the grass, the melting candle carefully placed next to you.</p>
<p>It was so peacefull..You could hear the faint sound of locusts in the background, you were glad it wasn't completely silent thanks to them.</p>
<p>Getting some fresh air really was a good idea, you felt better and were able to clear your mind for a bit, only focused on what was around you. You wondered if the cat from this afternoon would be back, or if she had a home with people waiting for her where she'd be sleeping.</p>
<p>It would have been nice to have a soft and warm animal next to you, it was a bit chilly, and you didn't want to go back inside to get the blanket the thief had given you. You wrapped your arms around you, rubbing your shoulders as you did so, and letting out a sigh.</p>
<p>You didn't want to go back inside yet, despite the fact you knew you'll be too tired tomorrow if you didn't go to sleep right now. You didn't care.</p>
<p>"My king, are you waiting for me?" You started to talk to yourself. "I hope you are, but most importantly, I hope you're okay."</p>
<p>You smiled.</p>
<p>"I'm sure you are. You're strong."</p>
<p>You couldn't help but let out a giggle, you felt a bit silly talking alone like that.</p>
<p>"I wonder what you're going to look like once I finally get to meet you."</p>
<p>You pinched the bridge of your nose, while trying to picture his face in your mind.</p>
<p>"From what I was able to see from afar, I'm sure you're handsome." You laughed again, now feeling ridiculous. "I just have the feeling you are."</p>
<p>Suddenly, you heard a sound coming from behind you.</p>
<p>You almost jumped, but quickly realized it was just the door being opened, meaning it surely was Craig. How long had you been sitting there? Maybe you really had woken him up when you had searched for the matches.</p>
<p>"Talking to yourself? Didn't know you were crazy." He asked, still behind you, not moving.</p>
<p>"I'm keeping myself entertained." You grinned, without turning around to face him. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry if I did."</p>
<p>"No, I woke up on my own." He replied, stretching.</p>
<p>That was weird. You thought things were going to feel awkward, yet you two were talking without any problems right now. You didn't mind of course, but you would have thought it would take more time for things to feel normal. Maybe it's just what night does to people, and you'll both be silent in the morning.</p>
<p>"What are you doing here?" He asked, cutting you out of your thoughts.</p>
<p>"Couldn't sleep. I thought the grass would be more comfortable than your room's floor."</p>
<p>He furrowed his brows. "I already gave up on my bed for one night, I wasn't going to let you sleep in it for another."</p>
<p>"I'm kidding Craig, I still managed to sleep for a bit. I'm not here because of that." You chuckled at his defensive behaviour.</p>
<p>You heard him start walking towards you, until you turned your head to see he was bending down to sit next to you. That was surprising.</p>
<p>You studied him for a bit, not really knowing why. His black hair were a mess, he didn't take the time to check himself in the mirror before going out. Was he searching for you? No, don't be stupid, he probably wanted some fresh air as well.</p>
<p>The dark circles under his eyes were more noticeable tonight. You wondered if he always wake up around that time, and if he just doesn't go back to sleep after.</p>
<p>He waited a few more seconds before talking again, not once looking at you, too focused on the horizon.</p>
<p>"Fuck. It's cold." He simply said.</p>
<p>"Yeah." You replied.</p>
<p>Without saying any other words, he stood up, and started walking back towards the house.</p>
<p>Well that was fast.</p>
<p>You stared at him as he opened the door, then disapeared behind it, leaving you alone just like how you were a few minutes ago. You sighed, what was the point of coming here if it was to leave right after?</p>
<p>You went back to looking at nothing in particular, before you heard the door opening once again. You quirked your eyebrows in confusion, did he forget something ?</p>
<p>You didn't have the time to think about it more when something fell on top of you. You let out a yelp, scared, when you realized it was only a blanket. The one you had leaved on the floor.</p>
<p>Did he just..?</p>
<p>You quickly turned your head around, and noticed he was sitting back where he had been, wearing his cape. You found yourself being disapointed when you saw he didn't have his hat on, you didn't know why you liked it so much. But it was way funnier to see his very messy hair instead.</p>
<p>"Thank you." You told him with a warm smile as you burried yourself inside the blanket.</p>
<p>He only hummed in response, staring at the grass. He had crossed his long legs, and was keeping himself up with the help of his arms and hands placed behind his back, hidden by the brown cape.</p>
<p>The locusts weren't as loud as they were before, you could almost hear Craig's breathing as he continued to stare into the distance, occasionaly glancing at you for a second. You liked that silence right now, it was peacefull, calm...Neither of you wanted to break it by saying something unnecessary.</p>
<p>You let out a yawn, you were tired, but you still didn't want to go back to sleep yet. Maybe you could just rest your eyes for a bit.</p>
<p>You closed them, then hid the bottom part of your face with the blanket, warming you up even more. You sighed, your hot breath hitting your skin.</p>
<p>You could feel yourself slowly drift apart, frowning as you realized you were in fact way too tired. Yet you wanted to stay awake, you wanted to be able to enjoy that peacefull silence with Craig just a bit more.</p>
<p>He couldn't help but smirk when he saw the way you were clumsily bending down then quickly sitting up straight.</p>
<p>"Just fall asleep, dumbass." He said in a whisper, and that was enough for your body to stop fighting and finally fall on the ground.</p>
<p>He almost tried to catch you but stopped himself for some reason. You were fine anyway, he could hear you softly snore as you were wrapped in the blanket like a child.</p>
<p>He sighed. </p>
<p>"I'm way better looking than Kyle." He reassured himself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Oh, what a pleasant surprise."</p>
<p>Craig stood there, half behind his door, having opened it after hearing a few loud and angry knocks. His hand was still wrapped around the handle, as he tried to scrape a piece of dirt stuck on it.</p>
<p>"You son of a-"</p>
<p>"Not my mom (y/n)." He turned his gaze away from the handle to glare at you.</p>
<p>"Of an <em>incredible</em> woman," You clenched your jaw, watching him nod, allowing you to continue. "-you actually left me outside for the entire night, at the mercy of the world."</p>
<p>Your eye twitched at the end of your sentence. Surprisingly, waking up with a bug crawling on your face wasn't the greatest way to start the day.</p>
<p>"You were here when I fell asleep, yet you didn't do anything." You tried your best to stay calm, despite all the anger you felt.</p>
<p>"I wasn't going to drag you by the legs." He said, scratching his jaw.</p>
<p>"YOU COULD HAVE-" You stopped yourself, clearing your throat before speaking in a calmer voice. "You could have woken me up, <b>Craig</b>." You spat his name. "You did have me on your back for a while when you brought me here, no?" You let out an unamused chuckle.</p>
<p>He blinked a few times, staring at your messy hair and dirty wrinkled clothes. <em>His</em>dirty wrinkled clothes. "Damn, you look like shit."</p>
<p>You bit your bottom lip, letting out a muffled high pitched whine out of frustration.</p>
<p>You imagined yourself giving up to your wildest pulsions and punching him right in the face, but of course you didn't.</p>
<p>"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, annoyed. You hadn't even noticed that you were staring, too lost in your thirst for his blood.</p>
<p>"Nothing." You quickly said, still holding back your voice a bit.</p>
<p>He sighed. "The bathroom's right next to my room, your dress is inside." He simply said, getting straight to the point.</p>
<p>You had completely forgot about your dress until now, but you couldn't say you weren't glad to get it back.</p>
<p>"However," He started. "I don't think traveling in a dress is very suited, considering how long we have to walk."</p>
<p>"You're right."</p>
<p>"I'll lend you my clothes again."</p>
<p>"Again? But-"</p>
<p>"Get me one of the king's outfit when we arrive, as a thank you." He grinned. "It'd be nice to wear something real fancy one day."</p>
<p>He really just wanted to annoy Kyle, to show the redhead how much he looked more like a king than him.</p>
<p>But hey, he wasn't going to tell you that. By the way, did you even know his name? He asked himself, until you cut him out of his thoughts.</p>
<p>"It's not like you would ever gone out to show it off." You sighed. "But alright, I guess I will. As a thank you." You repeated, feeling guitly for agreeing to give away your soon-to-be husband's clothing like that.</p>
<p>"Cool."</p>
<p>"Are you enjoying dressing me up?" You joked. "I appreciate your help though. Thank you Craig."</p>
<p>"Finally, a little bit of recognition." He rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"It's not like it's the first time I ever thank you for something!" You said, seeing him smirk.</p>
<p>He took a step aside to let you inside, only wondering now why you had knocked on the door instead of just opening it, but then brushing it off.</p>
<p>"Hurry up and get your ass in the bathroom while I pack my stuff."</p>
<p>"Oh, I'll take the longest warm bath!" You exclaimed, already walking away.</p>
<p>"Good luck trying to heat the water without anything, dumbass."</p>
<p>You stopped in your tracks, you forgot about that. You heard him chuckle as he walked past you to enter his room, locking the door and blocking the access to the precious box of matches, letting you face the hard reality.<br/><br/><br/></p>
<p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>-------</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>It felt as if his heart had been torn apart.</p>
  <p>Like someone kept stepping on it, or stabbing him right in the chest, twisting the knife when doing so.</p>
  <p>His worst fear became reality, and despite how bad it hurt, he still hadn't completely realized what had happened.</p>
  <p>It wasn't supposed to end like this, they had won. They had won against the humans who had cowardly attacked them in their own place.</p>
  <p>His hands shouldn't be shaking, they should be wrapped around a glass filled with some fancy drink, celebrating. That was what he wanted to do, he wanted to celebrate like he had never done before.</p>
  <p>Because this time he had you.</p>
  <p>Right after he saw the wizard run away in the woods with the rest of his 'army', he felt the urge, the <strong>need</strong> to go and finally take you in his arms after waiting for so long. </p>
  <p>You were supposed to see each other today, he had decided that on the spot, when he was whiping away dry blood on his chin.</p>
  <p>While he was running towards your supposedly secured room, he kept thinking about the way he was finally going to be able to plant a sweet kiss on your lips, thanks to the adrenaline he felt after having beaten up his enemy.</p>
  <p>But no.</p>
  <p>This was taken away from him when he couldn't find you anywhere, even when he searched for any hiding place you could have found and called your name. He was about to leave the room to look elsewhere, his heart pounding in his chest, when the bard had stopped him, claiming he had seen everything.</p>
  <p>You had been hit, then supposedly saved by an unknown man, who then decided to leave the castle with you by jumping out of the window.</p>
  <p>His first reaction had been to grab his collar, angry, asking him why he hadn't done anything. But he then saw the state he was in, and let him go as he understood he wouldn't have stood a chance.</p>
  <p>"I-I-I'm S-Sorry, K-K-K-Ky–"</p>
  <p>He stopped him by raising his hand in the air, making him understand he didn't need to finish. The bard had excused himself, before walking away to find someone who would help him heal his wounds.</p>
  <p>Now here he was, on his knees, waiting for something to happen, he didn't even know what. Maybe just for you to suddenly appear in front of him. In a way, he was lucky you weren't there to see him in such a weak state, but you still were the reason why he was like this.</p>
  <p>He cursed, slamming his fist against the floor. It was the only way to relieve a bit of his anger/sadness he thought about quickly enough.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>"Kyle." He heard his name, jumping in surprise. He hadn't notice anyone walking towards him.</p>
  <p>He didn't feel threatened, as he had recognized the voice; he even allowed himself to stay on the ground and look vulnerable.</p>
  <p>"I'm sorry, I wish I had been here." He said with a frown.</p>
  <p>"Stan, the only one at fault here is me. I should have stayed with her."</p>
  <p>"No. You protected everyone the best you could, don't blame yourself."</p>
  <p>"How can I not!?" He suddenly exclaimed, turning around to face his best friend, who was just a few steps away behind him. "I'm the reason she was here in the first place!"</p>
  <p>"You couldn't have predicted the attack!" Stan got on the ground, grabbing the redhead's shoulders. "Kyle, you weren't going to let both of you stay unhappy and not allow her to come here? Continue living a poor life instead of being at the castle with you? You've been searching for so long.."</p>
  <p>"I don't even know what I'm going to do now." He ran a hand through his red curls.</p>
  <p>"Please, have a bit more faith in yourself." The knight frowned. "I've asked guards to go look after her, I don't know if you already did. It took us a day to get rid of the humans, but I'm sure she's not too far away."</p>
  <p>The king closed his eyes, biting his lips.</p>
  <p>"I'm sure she's fine. We'll find her soon and safe." Stan reassured him.</p>
  <p>"Fuck." He only said, finally allowing himself to shed a single tear.</p>
  <p>"For now we have to help the ones who got hurt, Kyle."</p>
  <p>"I love her."</p>
  <p>"You've told me that a thousand times already."</p>
  <p>"Here I am saying that, while I'm on the floor instead of running around searching for her."</p>
  <p>"You have responsabilities as a King. Come on." Stan stood up, and offered his hand for his friend to grab.</p>
  <p>He did so, and got up as well, letting out a sigh.</p>
  <p>"I want you to prepare a special place in jail for the asshole who took (y/n)."</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've been waiting too long to write about Kyle.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Good ol' writer's block</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You just ruined perfectly good clothes!" Craig practically yelled, his hands pressed against his head as he saw the huge hole in the new pair of pants he had given you.</p>
<p>"It's not my fault you put your bag in the middle of the way!" You defended yourself, sitting on the floor after you fell.</p>
<p>"How did you manage to rip them like that?" He said, genuinely confused.</p>
<p>"I don't know! I'm sorry!" You replied,  it hadn't even been ten minutes since you had put them on.</p>
<p>You whinced, feeling a sudden pain in your knee. You looked down, and your jaw dropped when you saw that you hadn't just ripped them at the bottom, there was also a hole here.</p>
<p>Craig, noticing the face you were making, looked down as well and saw the state of your knee, completely covered in blood. How hadn't you both seen that first?</p>
<p>He furrowed his brows, walking over to you and sitting on the floor to take a closer look.</p>
<p>"How?? How is it that even when you hurt yourself it's something stupid??" He facepalmed.</p>
<p>"Excuse me?!"</p>
<p>"Only a child would end up in a situation like this. How do you expect me to take you to the castle if you can't even avoid something on the floor?"</p>
<p>"At least people don't leave their damn stuff in the middle of the road!" You growled.</p>
<p>He rolled his eyes, before foccusing back on your knee. "It looks so fucking gross." He let out a disgusted sound.</p>
<p>"Can't you stop staring and just give me something to take care of it already??" You gently pushed him to put more distance between the two of you.</p>
<p>He let out a sigh, searching for bandages in the same bag that made you fall, as well as something to disinfect the wound. He knew you'd get hurt when he was packing his stuff, he just thought it'd happen after you both had leaved his house. He poured the product into a piece of clean tissue, and was about to put it on your knee before you grabbed it from his hand.</p>
<p>"I can do it, you don't have to."</p>
<p>"That's-" He stopped. "Yeah, no, that's true." He hadn't even realized he was about to do it for you, while it was something you could easily do yourself.</p>
<p>"Of course it is, I already had to do it in my [age] years of existence, Craig." You chuckled, whincing when you pressed the soaked tissue on your wound. You've always hated the way it stung.</p>
<p>"The fact you've managed to keep yourself alive until now is impressive." He placed the bandages next to you, as he rested his back on the wall, watching you take care of your bloodied skin.</p>
<p>"I could say the same for you." You rolled your eyes.</p>
<p>"No you can't." He corrected, raising his arm to point at his biceps. "You don't have that." He then slightly pulled his shirt up to show his abs. "Or that. Or-"</p>
<p>"I-I get it!!" You exclaimed, looking away why the tiniest blush on your face. "Being physically strong isn't the only thing you need."</p>
<p>"It helps." He smirked. "But, I'm also pretty smart, and I know how to steal."</p>
<p>"Well I don't want to steal." You frowned. "And I'm not dum-"</p>
<p>"I'm handsome as hell too." He said, his hand pressed to his chin as if he was seriously thinking about his qualities, like it was really important you knew how amazing he was.</p>
<p>You choked on your saliva, taken aback by the way he said it.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" He said, raising a brow.</p>
<p>You coughed a few more times before being able to reply. "Well you sure don't lack confidence."</p>
<p>"You need that too in life, gets you anywhere.." He grinned. "I've seduced both men and women with my looks and words." He proudly said. </p>
<p>"Y-You make it sound like it's so simple..." You mumbled with a frown, removing the tissue from your wound to finally put a bandage on it.</p>
<p>He brought his chin forward, in your direction, with a smug look on his face. "Are you jealous of me?"</p>
<p>"I'm not!" You exclaimed, even though you had to admit it'd be nice to be as confident as him. "I don't want to mess around with people, like you. I want to fall in love." You blushed, knowing you sounded stupid.  </p>
<p>"Yet you're marrying someone you don't even know." He responded, changing his proud look into a frown. </p>
<p>"We already talked about that, I told you everything." You focused on your knee instead of him. "Let me be naive." You chuckled.</p>
<p>"Well maybe you shouldn't–" He stopped himself.</p>
<p>"I shouldn't what?" You looked up at him, curious.</p>
<p>"Nevermind, you do whatever you want, it's your life." He replied, obviously not wanting you to insist.</p>
<p>You sighed, finally finished with you knee. It still hurt, but at least you didn't have to worry about it getting infected. </p>
<p>You tried to stretch your leg, but couldn't completely, feeling too uncomfortabe as it was a bit painful to do so.</p>
<p>It wasn't even that big of a fall! How did you get hurt so easily?</p>
<p>"...Do you want to leave tomorrow instead? So it has time to heal a bit." Craig said, cutting you out of your thoughts.</p>
<p>"No, I've been here for too long already." You replied. "I bothered you enough, and I need to go back to the king." You smiled.</p>
<p>"I don't want you to stop every five minutes because you're bleeding. You can't walk if you can't even move your knee properly." He sighed, closing his eyes for a second before standing up.</p>
<p>"It's nothing! Just a scratch, we can go." You watch him move, until he was right in front of you, bending down. He offered you his hand, and it took you a bit of time to realize he wanted to help you get up. "I'm all good, I swear." You said while wrapping your hand around his.</p>
<p>"You're annoying." He simply said, pulling on your arm to make you stand up, without you actually making any effort. He wasn't kidding when he was showing off his muscles.</p>
<p>"I think you told me that many times already."</p>
<p>"Not enough."</p>
<p>You sighed. "I'm really sorry about that. I promise I'll get you nice, good quality clothes." You said, pointing at the ruined pants you were wearing.</p>
<p>"You bet." He let go of your hand. "Just wear your dress for now, it's clean anyway."</p>
<p>"You're right; it's in your room?"</p>
<p>"Yeah."</p>
<p>You were about to walk away, but stopped.</p>
<p>"We're still leaving today, huh?"</p>
<p>"We'll see, I wanna take a bath right now." He replied, making his way towards the bathroom while he started to hum a random song.</p>
<p>"You're using that as an excuse!"</p>
<p>He only hummed louder in response, making you smile at first, but then frown.</p>
<p>"Craig, why would you want me to stay longer here, aren't you annoyed?"</p>
<p>"You know..." He stopped in his tracks for a few seconds.</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"I think I might go to the village with you today." He smirked, disapearing behind the door and leaving you without being able to say anything back.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had a hard time writing this chapter, but in the end it's here so the story can continue :) the next chapters will be much better I hope!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You had decided to lay down on Craig's bed, your back pressed against the mattress and your fingers intertwined with each others as they rested on your chest, raising with every breath you took.</p><p>Was he serious about going to the village, when he had insisted over the fact that he couldn't walk around freely because of who he was? Maybe he had been lying to you and was just too lazy to talk to people.. And, why would he accompany you there if he doesn't want you to walk at all? Okay, it wouldn't be as long as if you were actually leaving to go back to the castle, but it was still walking.</p><p>Yet, you couldn't deny that it'd be nice to see the old lady and the baker before leaving, to say goodbye. And, Craig would be able to see how nice they were.</p><p>You two looked like you got closer; not that you were unhappy about that, of course, especially after all the things you told him. It's nice to know that maybe you had a friend now. You chuckled; to think you had to get hit in the back of your head to meet him.</p><p>You looked around at the room, thinking about how it was the first thing you had seen when you arrived here, and you couldn't help but be curious as your eyes fell on all of the things that were contained in this small thing.</p><p>As curiosity got the best of you, you thought about getting up and wander around until Craig was back. You weren't going to go through his personal stuff of course, you just wanted to take a look. Stretching your legs before moving you decided you might start with the pile of objects and papers on his desk, since it was inside of it that you had found the box of matches.</p><p>You were amazed by how this simple wooden furtinure could hold so much stuff without falling apart. Running your hand over the surface, your fingers found their way to a strange looking paper stuck under a book. You didn't want to invade his personal life, but it wouldn't hurt to just look at it right?</p><p>Before you could think about it too much, you grabbed the book hiding it, and pushed it to the side. You raised both of your eyebrows when you saw what was written and drawn on it.</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>You recognized the drawing as Craig, which was what had surprised you; but they were still a few differences from the real him. Little things, like the shape of his hat which appeared more pointy, and his eyes which were slightly bigger. This was definitely a wanted poster...It was written in big black letters under the drawing.</p><p>Wow, that man was worth a pretty good amount of money, no wonder why he was so scared of getting caught. Was stealing really the only thing he had done? Studying the paper, your eyes fell on the name they had given him; you had expected to read 'Craig' as it was the only one you knew, but that wasn't what was written.</p><p>"Feldspar?.." You said out loud.</p><p>You were holding back a chuckle.</p><p>But who could blame you? If you hadn't met him, you would have thought nothing of it. But now that you had lived with Craig for a bit, knowing what he was like, you couldn't help but think this name was funny. It sounded like something a child would pick when playing a game.</p><p>Your thoughts were cut short only to be replaced by a yelp, once a certain someone had litterally slammed his hands on your shoulders. It would probably leave a red mark, the thin fabric of your freshly cleaned dress useless when it came to protecting your skin.</p><p>"Boo." He calmly said, completely ignoring how out of breath you were because of him.</p><p>The sweet smell of the soap he had used helped in calming your pounding heart down, who knew its scent could be so strong? Or perhaps he was wearing perfume? You would have thought more about that if you weren't trying to foccus on your heartbeat.</p><p>"Asshole." You mumbled under your breath.</p><p>Placing a hand on your chest, you turned around to face the thief, your eyes closed as you did so, still trying to concentrate on yourself. Because of that, you didn't notice him glance behind you, eager to know what could be so interesting that you hadn't heard him walk into room. His eyes widened for a second once he saw his old wanted poster, the one he had forgotten about.</p><p>"Why did you do that?" You asked, his attention now back on you. An idea popped in your mind, but you hesitated, not knowing if it would piss him off. But it was far too tempting in the end. "Feldspar." You didn't fight back the urge to childhishly grin, staring right into his eyes as you waited for a reaction.</p><p>His brain stopped working when he had the confirmation that you had been in fact looking at it. Why did it feel so embarrassing that you knew that? He shouldn't be suddenly all shy about it, he always thought this name was cool. Well, when he was younger that is.</p><p>"Nice hat you got there, Feldspar." You continued to tease, loving the way his eyelid would twitch each time you said the name. "I'm afraid they didn't quite get it right, Feldspa-" A loud snort cut you off, as you couldn't hold back the laugh that was building up inside your throat.</p><p>You sounded ridiculous, but compared to how Craig must have felt, it was nothing. You wheezed, pressing your hand against the desk for support as you wrapped your arm around your stomach. The name itself wasn't supposed to be as funny, but with Craig's reaction it was too much for you to handle.</p><p>Blinking, he finally came back to reality as you kept laughing at him. He harshly pushed you away from his desk; fortunetly, the bed wasn't that far and you ended up falling on it when you lost your balance, still out of breath but this time because of how hard you laughed. He was quick to grab the piece of paper and roll it into a ball, throwing it to a corner of the room; he didn't know why he'd been keeping that anyway.</p><p>"I-I'm sorry!!" You exclaimed, rolling around on the mattress as your stomach started to hurt. "I swe- I swear I wasn't looking through your stuff!"</p><p>You finally calmed down, a little tear escaping out of the corner of your eye as you quickly whiped it away with the back of your hand. Letting out a big shaky breath, you stopped moving to let your body rest from the sudden burst of laughter.</p><p>"Are you fucking done?" Craig asked, his jaw clenched as he frowned.</p><p>"Y-Yeah, sorry." You replied, a stupid smile still stuck on your face.</p><p>"It's not even funny." He muttered, loud enough for you to hear.</p><p>"It's the surprise that made me loose it." You giggled, but quickly stopped when you caught him glaring at you. "Wait, um..." You started, raising your upper body with the help of your arms so you could sit on the bed instead of just lay down.</p><p>"What?" He spat, desesperately trying to avoid your gaze at first.</p><p>"I'm sorry if I...If I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to." You said, rubbing the back of your neck.</p><p>"It takes more than that dumbass." He smirked, to let you know it didn't have that much effect on him. "I have to admit it can sound pretty lame to some people." He rolled his eyes.</p><p>"You know, now that I think of it, it sounds pretty cool in a way." You chuckled. "It's just that..."</p><p>"That what?" He asked, now sitting next to you, making the mattress shift under the sudden weight.</p><p>"It also sound ridiculous at the same time." You grinned. "It's like a child picked it."</p><p>He glared at you once again. He was young when he chose it, but he wasn't a kid.</p><p>"Hey, [Childhish Name] doesn't sound any better." You chuckled, before clearing your throat as it felt dry after all that laughter.</p><p>"What's [Childhish Name]?" He asked.</p><p>"Huh?" You let out. "Wait, I don't know, it just popped in my mind." You replied, confused.</p><p>"So you just made that up?" Craig said, now confused as well. "For what?"</p><p>"No, I know I didn't invent it just now." You rubbed your temples. "I just can't remember where it's from..."</p><p>The thief sighed. "Why are you getting worked up over that? I bet it's just a random name you found when you were a kid."</p><p>Your jaw dropped. "Yeah! That's where it comes from!" You exclaimed.</p><p>"Wow, you seem real happy to remember that." He responded, still confused about your reaction.</p><p>"That's the thing Craig! I remember!" You said, grabbing his shoulders. "I can't remember most of my childhood!"</p><p>Apart from being picked on by random kids, you hadn't been able to recall 'important' things from when you were a child, ever since you found yourself alone.</p><p>"Wait, what?" He took your hands in his, as your grip on his skin was starting to get a bit too strong.</p><p>"...I just woke up one day against a rock, in a forest." You confessed, unsure about how he'd react. </p><p>"You know that's fucking weird right?" </p><p>"Of course I know!" You snapped for a second. "I only knew my name, as well as some random details about me after a few days."</p><p>"You're lucky you did." He sighed. "Why do you mention that just now?"</p><p>"Why does it matter?" You frowned. </p><p>Craig didn't really like where this was going, but now he had to admit he was getting too curious and wanted to know more about what happened to you. Afterall, it was pretty surprising.</p><p>Not once had you mentionned loosing your memories, nor looked like you had.</p><p>"But [Childhish Name]!" You ran a hand through your (h/c) locks in a nervous way. "I'm pretty sure I used to think I was...a knight, or a princess, I don't remember." You said in a sigh. "I played with.."</p><p>A kid? Two kids? You couldn't remember any faces, or voices. If you had friends, where were they now? You didn't play alone, did you?</p><p>"With who?" Craig interrupted your thoughts, still surprised at how invested he was.</p><p>"I don't know! My brain's already filled with so much stuff-" You said, pushing him away.</p><p>But he didn't let go of you so easily, instead he grabbed your wrists. "Hey, calm down." He frowned.</p><p>"That's not that easy!" You couldn't focus on anything else other than the very small part of memory you had just gotten back so suddenly.</p><p>It seemed like this exact part was really important, that's why you were freaking out. You knew you loved this game in particular; did it have a link with your family or who you were? You felt like you were overreacting, afterall you hadn't been panicking this much when you had remembered you used to have a book about the different spieces of birds..</p><p>You suddenly felt so guilty for some reason.</p><p>"I want to find out what happened, I need to know right now! I can't just have a taste of it and then be left in the dark like that.." You let out a sob you had no idea you were holding back, but you tried to hide it.</p><p>Craig sighed, he definitely wasn't the type of person who could easily reassure or help someone. Afterall, a second ago you were laughing your ass off.</p><p>"(Y/n), listen." He said firmly, earning your attention. "I said we'd go back to the village."</p><p>"What?" You let out, wondering why he was bringing that up all of the sudden.</p><p>"You can focus on that instead, you can go see the villagers you met." He insisted, a bit unsure about what he was saying. Was he doing the right thing?</p><p>"That's not what's important right now! I–"</p><p>"It'll all come back later." He cut you off, staring right into your now wet eyes, as his hands made their way from your wrist to cup your cheeks, trying to make you focus on him as he kept your head from moving. "You'll start to remember eventually. But if you stay in that state it's just going to make things harder for you."</p><p>You let out a shaky breath, not able to take your eyes off of his, foccusing on his soothing, slightly nasal voice.</p><p>"I'll buy you a souvenir." He joked, smiling at you. A genuine smile.</p><p>You continued to stare at him, blinking a few times to let the few small tears that thretaned to fall out, taking your time to reply.</p><p>"I...yeah..." You said, leaning into his touch as it surprisingly helped you relax.</p><p>He didn't respond, he only watch you close your eyes to make sure you weren't going to start panicking again. </p><p>"I-It's really frustrating, you know." You bit your lip.</p><p>He sighed, glancing at his thumbs now wet with some of your tears. "You should just rest for a bit before we go." He let go of you without any warnings, as you let out a very small gasp due to the sudden lack of warmth.</p><p>He gestured for you to get under the covers of his bed, and you did so without really protesting, even though you didn't see the point in resting right now. You didn't need it, did you?</p><p>"I'm sorry for doing that to you all of a sudd–"</p><p>"Shut up." He cut you off, while you let out a sigh and got into a more comfortable position.</p><p>Craig left the room, carefully closing the door behind him before quickly resting his back against its surface. He brought his hands to the sides of his head, vigorously rubbing his temples while he tried to process what happened.</p><p>He could call you a friend now, right? Or an aquaintance, whatever. So in both cases, he shouldn't have been feeling like that when you leaned into his hands the way you did, it wasn't right. He tried to suppress that ever since he met you, and he had partially succeeded, so why now out of all time? He was way too close to you, holding your hand and touching your cheeks...Ugh. What was he thinking?</p><p>Where was the emotionless guy with a resting bitch face when he needed him, huh? Well here he was blushing and trying to hide it despite being alone.</p><p>"Fuck you Kyle." He said to no one. "Couldn't you just get a girl that wasn't exactly what I like?..." He muttered under his breath, before letting out a sigh and deciding he was going to get some fresh air outside.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Should you have told him about it? No it was none of his buisness anyway..</p><p>Yet you threw yourself in his arms for comfort after that small unsignificant memory resurfaced. Hell, he technically even was the reason why it suddenly popped in your head.</p><p>For someone with a fiancée, you didn't seem to think twice before getting so close with another man...</p><p>He was a friend! You scoffed at yourself; you didn't even know if you were still going to get married once you go back anyway. Either you end up at the castle, either you return to that small cottage you lived in before; between the town's library and well, where you could see villagers passing by everyday to fetch water or borrow a book.</p><p>You let out a small sigh; all of this didn't matter right now. For once, can't you foccus on yourself, on what's inside of you brain, instead of worrying about everything else? </p><p>Bringing your knees closer to your chest, you rolled into a ball and completely hid under the sheets, alone with your thoughts. You've always tried to avoid these kind of situations for some reason, it just seemed like there was always too much at the same time, and your brain couldn't take it...But now you were able, and probably had, to think about it all.</p><p>You've never even tried before.</p><p>Water dropplets kept knocking againt the window as rain fell from the dark grey clouds; this surely was ruining your plans of going to the village, even when Craig had made such a big deal out of it. You weren't even sure if you wanted to go anymore, anyway.</p><p>Letting out yet another sigh, you finally tried to concentrate on what mattered; your thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>The first thing you clearly remember, is you waking up alone in the middle of a forest, like you told Craig. You could practically feel the cold rock against your cheek as you recalled the event, the moment when you were barely starting to open your eyes.</p><p>You know very well what happened next; you panick and cry, search for help without even knowing who to call for, you're completely lost, then end up at a random village and start surviving on your own, before getting enough money to move closer to the king's castle, as it was easier to live there. But you didn't care about that, you wanted to remember what happened <em>before</em> all of that.</p><p>Plus you didn't really want to relive those years a second time. It was hard, and you had to deal with this alone.</p><p>You shifted into a more comfortable position, without getting out from under the covers, letting out a mix between a sigh and a groan as you body stretched.</p><p>How great will it be to be surrounded by maids and butlers, reminding you everyday of the fact you've managed to end up alongside a well known powerfull king? Moving into town probably was the best decision you had ever taken.</p><p> </p><p>Foccus (y/n).</p><p> </p><p>Maybe talking with Craig would help? Afterall, it's all thanks to a small talk with him that you remembered something, especially something that seemed important. You furrowned your brows; no, you could do this on your own.</p><p>Just because someone shows the slightest bit of interest doesn't mean they want to know everything about you, even more someone like Craig.</p><p> </p><p>Ugh, why can't you foccus (y/n)?</p><p> </p><p>Why won't this thief get out of your thoughts for at least an hour! </p><p>You rolled around uncomfortably, furrowing your brows and trying your best to push him aside; right now wasn't the time.</p><p>Finally, his face and voice were gone from your head.</p><p> </p><p>What was the first thing you remembered about your childhood?</p><p> </p><p>You've been picked on by kids, but you didn't know why. Had they gone too far to the point of hitting you hard enough on the back of the head to the point you'd forget everything and then abandon you in a forest for fear of repercussions? No, children wouldn't be able to do that, were they ?</p><p>Perhaps you were different; physically or mentally, and it led to them trying to distance themselves from you as well as throw some insults at the same time. But what was it about you they seemed to hate so much?</p><p>This was useless; you couldn't remember anything at all. No wonder why you gave up before..</p><p>[Childish Name] would maybe switch something in your brain? </p><p>God, it's only been a few minutes and you wanted to stop already. It was making you feel sad, you didn't like this.</p><p>What's the point in trying to remember your past if it's miserable anyway?</p><p>You growled as you threw the sheets off of you, getting even more frustrated as you struggled to get out, before standing up from the mattress. You almost fell due to how fast you got up, feeling dizzy for a second; shaking your head, you immediately headed towards the door.</p><p>You needed to talk with him, as it seemed to be the only thing that worked.</p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p>He wanted to ask you to leave tonight.</p><p>Staying with him for too long was a bad idea.</p><p>A part of him kept trying to tell him that there was a problem right when he noticed he wasn't as distant with you as he was with others; he's messed with you by telling you he's confident and talks to people to get his way, but the truth is that things like that rarely happens.</p><p>It's not that he really doubts himself, it's just that he doesn't care about anything else but himself, he saw no interest in being friendly or getting invested in something. Last time he did that it ended up with his best friend being banished from time and space.</p><p>As much as he wanted to say it didn't affect him, it was a lie.</p><p>No wonder why he hated Kyle; despite being the Grand Wizard's enemy he helped him out of greediness, not caring for anything else other than the damn stick, and after that they had the audacity to get rid of it like it was nothing.</p><p>Now he probably even had more reasons to dislike the elf.</p><p>It's been a long time since he felt this way around someone, and as enjoyable as it was he knew this wasn't a good thing. He shouldn't have brought you here.</p><p>This was a mistake.</p><p>He squeezed his blue hat to get as much water out as he could, as if he was outside when the rain had started. Craig let out a sigh, was it too hard to ask to live a peacefull life in a small house isolated from others? After all of the fucked up things that happened, didn't he deserve a break?</p><p>You just had to cross his path, and now he had to get you back to Kyle before something bad happens.</p><p>He knows he's been trying to make you stay just a little longer, he cringed at the thought, especially the times when he tried to look good, confident, in front of you.</p><p>Tonight, you'll both leave; it will take a day to arrive in town, you'll be happy, he'll get his reward for helping the future queen and then never see you again, and you'll forget about each other.</p><p>And that was it.</p><p>Even though he wouldn't be truly satisfied with this ending, he didn't care. He'll survive long enough to forget about everything.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Three updates in a day! Quarantine sure gives me time...<br/>I hope you all are safe and okay, and that my story can at least keep you a little entertained! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Craig!"</p><p>The ravenette's eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't heard you walking towards him, as he had been too lost in his thoughts.</p><p>"(Y/n)?" He asked, turning around.</p><p>He didn't have his hat back on, you could see it drying in the middle of the kitchen's table. It was funny how he took care of it first when he didn't even bother changing from his wet clothes.</p><p>You stopped in your tracks, waiting at the door. "Can I talk to you?" You hesitantly said.</p><p>"Depends." He replied. "About what?" </p><p>"I need your help. Again." Your lips twisted into a nervous smile.</p><p>He was about to get up and walk over to where you were, but stopped himself. "What's wrong?"</p><p>In the end, you were the one to go and sit on the empty chair in front of him, resting your hands on the table. "Can I talk to you about what I remember?" You finally asked. "I thought that, since you were the reason why I recalled a small moment of my childhood, if I-"</p><p> </p><p>"No."</p><p> </p><p>It took a few seconds for you to realize what he had just said. "What?"</p><p>"I said no." He repeated, crossing his arms as he looked outside the window. "I won't get more involved in this."</p><p>You furrowed your brows in confusion, as you had no idea why he was suddenly reluctant to help.</p><p>"I've never had the opportunity to discuss with someone about it! You can just listen and try to give a few–"</p><p>"I will not." He cut you off once again.</p><p>"But..why? After all you've done, you won't even do something as simple as talk with me?"</p><p>Letting out a sigh, he seemed to bring his arms even closer to his chest. "I've said no, (y/n)." He said in a more firm tone, his eyes shifting from the window to yours.</p><p>You couldn't believe it, you honestly were hurt. It was such an easy thing, yet he wouldn't even give it a try? While you've already normally talked to each other a bunch of time?</p><p>"...I see." You simply said, not knowing how else to react.</p><p>Your fingers curled up against your palm, as you pressed your fingernails against your skin in an attempt to foccus on something other than the hard look in Craig's eyes.</p><p>"You can do that with your king." He added, chewing on the inside of his mouth for a second, before speaking again. "Don't you think he's perfect afterall?"</p><p>He didn't know why he added that, the words just fell out of his mouth before he could think twice about it, as he recalled the night when he had heard you talk to yourself. He just thought you had things in front of you that you refused to see, at the expense of a man you've only ever seen from afar.</p><p>You looked at him with a confused expression on your face. "What do you mean?"</p><p>He let out a sigh. "You didn't even meet him and you're already head over heels for the guy." You heard it as if he was mocking you, yet Craig meant it as something he genuinely didn't understand.</p><p>You frowned. "I am not, I just respect him. He's my King and it's an honor." He rolled his eyes at your reply, angrily swinging one of his feet under the table, almost hitting your bandaged knee due to how long his legs are.</p><p>"An honor. Right." He scoffed. "He's an asshole."</p><p>Your eyes widened for a second, as you couldn't help but slam your palms against the table, without any real strenght. "Don't call him that! You don't know him–"</p><p>"Because you do? All of this is stupid, you're stupid." He spat.</p><p>He knew he should stop, to end this supposed friendship in good terms, but he couldn't. He just had to let it out, at least a small part of his frustration regarding this situation.</p><p>"Craig, what the hell?" You were confused as to why he was acting this way.</p><p>"What?" He said, his foot swinging even faster as he furrowed his brows. It wasn't your fault, you weren't even aware of what was going on between the two of them, or even between you and Craig.</p><p>"Why are you suddenly being so rude?" You asked, a worried frown on your face; had you done something to upset him?</p><p>He didn't have the time to stop himself before the harsh words fell from his mouth. "Because I want you out of my damn life already!" He exclaimed, about to stand up before realizing what he had just told you.</p><p>Your eyes widened while you stared right into his eyes, even when he tried to avoid your gaze. You felt your heart drop as soon as the words hit you, a wave of heat from both the embarrassment and hurt you were feeling invading your body.</p><p>Weren't you friends now? Was it really just bullshit in the end, all of this being revealed because you asked for too much according to him?</p><p>How dare he say that, after being so close to you not even an hour ago.</p><p>You heard him curse under his breath, but didn't pay attention to it. "We're going to leave after the rain stops." He said, trying his best to act as if he didn't regret what he just said, or as if nothing even happened, while he got up from his seat.</p><p>You wanted to get a bit more time to think about a response, but your mouth moved on its own as your shocked expression turned into a frown.</p><p>"No, I think I've bothered you enough." You cut him off. "If you want me gone so badly, I must be pretty damn annoying."</p><p>He wanted to take his words back so bad, he had no intention of hurting you. He didn't mean to.</p><p>"It was very kind of you to help me back at the castle Craig." You stood up as well. "You can can keep the ring, I'll leave."</p><p>He didn't have the time to understand what you said before you walked past him, accidently bumping into his shoulder as you did so, which made him realize that you were in fact, leaving. He turned around and saw that you were already opening the front door of his house, a loud creaking noise being heard as you quickly pulled on the rusty handle.</p><p>You didn't care about the rain as you stepped outside, almost slipping due to the mud your foot sunk in. You wanted to get away, hurt by Craig's behaviour as you thought about how you overshared with him, and that despite the frienldy act he probably only cared about the reward you had offered him.</p><p>Strangers. You were strangers to each other and that was it, he made you understand that in just a few words, despite the way you had both acted around each other.</p><p>You'd been feeling so comfortable around him, you had actually forgotten that it probably wasn't the case for him.</p><p>"(Y/n), what are you doing?" Craig called out to you from the inside of the house, but you only walked faster in response.</p><p>You furrowed your brows, angry, hurt, frustrated...disapointed. You'd been expecting so much better from Craig, without any real reasons as to why in the end.</p><p>You felt like crying, but surprisingly, tears wouldn't come out.</p><p>You partially remembered how Craig had shown you the way back to the castle on a map, but you thought that since he wasn't going to be coming with you now, you could try and ask for someone else to take you there, someone with a horse, if they were willing to.</p><p>The only reason he even was supposed to come with you in the first place was because of that damn ring, but now he could keep it, the king will understand if you explain yourself, or even lie alie about it. And if he found another woman, then he probably thinks you're dead and won't even bother for the ring, and you'll continue living your boring yet peacefull life in town.</p><p>"(Y/n)." Craig insisted, raising his voice, finally stepping out of the house when he saw you were being serious about leaving.</p><p>He didn't run, as he didn't want to slip and fall down the hill; unfortunetly, you didn't seem to mind that, as you immediately started to go even faster once you heard him get closer.</p><p>Why would he even bother coming after you? Wasn't the ring enough, did he want more than that?</p><p>A gasp left your lips when you felt yourself being harshly pulled backwards, as he had grabbed your wrist. You were surprised by how quick he caught up with you, but it didn't mean you were just going to let him drag you back inside so easily.</p><p>"Leave me alone." You said as calmly as you could manage to, but the act didn't last long when he  looked like he wasn't going to let go. "Craig!" You spat with a slightly shaky voice, due to how this entire situation was making you feel.</p><p>"You're such an idiot, you really think you can leave for the castle without anything, while the weather's as shitty as that?" He exclaimed, glancing at you up and down with a firm look on his face.</p><p>"Why do you bother?" You growled. "Don't you want me gone?"</p><p>Without really thinking, you kicked his shin in a clumsy manner to try and make him fall; for a second you thought you had succeeded when he slipped, but quickly panicked when he still tightly held onto your wrist and was bringing you down with him. You've barely had the time to react when you felt your body hit the ground, knocking the air out of your lungs for a second, as the mud sticked onto your dress and skin, making it harder for you to move now.</p><p>You had no idea how Craig had managed to get on top of you in the middle of the fall, but you found yourself being trapped between his arms and legs, his knees pressed against your hips and his hands sinking into the ground next to the sides of your head.</p><p>His hair was a mess, completely soaked in water just like yours, sticking to his forehead. He let out a deep breath through his nose, as you kept glaring at him, even when he started to talk.</p><p>"What's wrong with you?" He asked.</p><p>"You're an asshole!" You replied. "Get off of me!" You tried to push the thief away and it almost worked if it wasn't for your body sinking even more into the mud, in contrary of him who was perfectly stabilized. </p><p>"You're overreacting." </p><p>You couldn't believe what you were hearing. "Am I?" You replied, your voice filled with sarcasm.</p><p>He let out a sigh. "What exactly do your expect me to do? Fuck, when I helped you I wasn't expecting you to have so much shit going on in your life." He said, not really knowing how to 'apologize' without telling you something he might regret. Well, something else, as he seemed to have already messed up judging by the situation you both were in.</p><p>You moved your head to the side, not wanting to look at his face, ignoring what he said until he talked again.</p><p>"I don't want to get involved." </p><p>"I wasn't begging for you to." You pressed your fingers into the ground, not caring that they get dirty. "But I understand. We're not friends afterall, maybe I was getting too comfortable." You added, your voice lower than before, as if you were saying it more to yourself than to him.</p><p>You let out a sigh, turning your head back around to face him, dirty (h/c) strands of hair sticking to the side of your face that had touched the ground.</p><p>"You didn't have to pretend that you were interested in whatever I said." You spoke, looking into his deep blue eyes. "I would have given you your reward either way. Why would you make me enjoy being around you if you didn't care?"</p><p>Craig bit into his bottom lips, hard enough to almost draw blood, he could see how hurt and disapointed you were by listening to your voice. He made a mistake, but if you could just understand why he said that without him actually having to explain it would solve everything so easily...But of course it was impossible, you couldn't just guess.</p><p>"Don't make me believe I made a friend when you're just messing with me." Your voice came out more as a whine than anything else, making you groan in embarrassment. You've already made a fool of yourself around him, you didn't want to look even more stupid.</p><p>He replied, staring back into you eyes, furrowing his brows. "I didn't, you're wrong."</p><p>"Stop it." You insisted.</p><p>"No."</p><p>You harshly pushed his chest with both your hands, dirtying his previously cleaned shirt, but he refused to move.</p><p>"I-I don't want you in my life too anyway!" The hurt tone in your voice betrayed your voice, but you didn't care.</p><p>He mumbled a few cursed under his breath before speaking clearly again. "(Y/n), don't act like that. Let's just go back inside and forget about it."</p><p>His heart was begining to pound inside his chest, his stomach hurting, two things he hadn't experienced for a long time, while he wished you'd just listen and do as he said. He was about to crack.</p><p>"Fuck you! I don't want anything to do with you any–"</p><p>You didn't get to finish your sentence before he suddenly pressed his lips against yours, leaving you speechless.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Your eyes were wide open as you couldn't comprehend what exactly was happening, every muscles inside your body feeling numb, your only foccus being on the sensation against your chapped lips.</p><p>Your hands were still pressed against Craig's chest from your attempts at pushing him off of you during the argument, and your fingers moved on their own, curling on themselves to tightly hold the fabric of his shirt, out of confusion, to make sure there was in fact, another body on top of yours.</p><p>The ravenette kept pushing his thoughts to the side; he couldn't undo his actions, so he might as well enjoy the moment while it lasted and then deal with the consequences once he pulls away, or gets pushed to the side.</p><p>He felt the way your hands were holding onto his soaked clothes, and it only made him melt more into the kiss, despite knowing you weren't in a state to do the same. He was being selfish, but he was too overwhelmed by the feeling against his lips to think straight.</p><p>It went on for what felt like hours, but in reality it wasn't long enough for you to have the time to properly react, or even understand why it was happening. The only thing you could do was to let him kiss you, his hot breath hitting your lips and chin each times his lips moved, as he slowly brought his right hand to your cheek, hesitant to touch you at first but then brushing his thumb over your skin, leaving a small trace of dirt behind.</p><p>Maybe the feeling of the cold mud brought him back to reality, as he suddenly stopped moving his lips. Not only his lips, but his entire body too, frozen, hoping to disapear and avoid what would come after the kiss ends.</p><p>Yet he still slowly pulled away, already filled with regrets and guilt; his head twitched for a second, almost as if he wanted to give in and kiss you again, but reason got the best of him and he quickly sat up, using your bent legs for support. He hesitantly licked his lips, trying to make sure what he had done was real and not some kind of halucination coming from his fucked up mind.</p><p>His heart dropped, feeling sorry for what he had done, and he stood up as fast as his trembling legs could manage to move, to get away from you and avoid the disgusted look he expected to see on your face.</p><p>Your wide eyes stared at the sky, now that the grey menacing clouds weren't hidden by black strands of hair tingling your forehead. You blinked, one of your ears twitching at the sound of Craig's voice talking to himself.</p><p>"Fuck." Was all you heard him say.</p><p>You pressed your lips together, trying to process the fact the thief had just kissed you in the middle of an argument which had started on false assumptions; you could feel your heart dropping from the pressure that suddenly fell onto the both of you.</p><p>But this couldn't mean anything; it only happened because of the heat and frustration of the moment, right? Craig couldn't think of you this way, no, he surely had no interest in someone like you.</p><p>"Get the hell up." You heard him order, cutting you out of your thoughts, as he walked towards the front door of his house, still wide open since he hadn't bothered to close it when going after you just a few minutes ago. "We're going to leave right now." He added, stopping in his tracks with his hand holding onto the doorframe.</p><p>You two were still covered in mud and soaked because of the rain, which hadn't even stopped yet, the cold dropplets falling onto your face; one bigger than the others fell on your nose in a loud 'plop', the sound making you come back to reality. You opened your mouth to finally say something, even though the shock from what happened wasn't completely gone. But Craig noticed, and cut you off before you could even manage to let out a single word.</p><p>"We have to leave."</p><p>He entered his house, now that he was sure you had heard him, before coming back only a few seconds later with the bag he had packed earlier in the day on his back, the look on his face being one you hadn't seen him with before.</p><p>It could be mistaken for an expression of fear, it looked like one, but it wasn't what he was feeling. You were surprised by how emotional and vulnerable he looked right now, you had never seen the features of his face twisted in such a way.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>ಥ╭╮ಥ</p><p>[Jk I'm sorry–]</p><p> </p><p>You felt bad, a wave of shame hitting you after a small voice in the back of your head told you that it was entirely your fault.</p><p>"Craig." Your voice came out as a loud whisper, but he still heard, turning his head away once he saw you looking, to hide himself from what he thought was a judgmental look.</p><p>"Shut up, I don't want to hear a single word." It almost sounded like a cracked whine, yet his voice wasn't any higher or weaker than usual.</p><p>He walked really fast, without waiting for you to get up and follow him; you clumsily but quickly got back on your feet to keep up with him, just now realizing he was being serious about leaving this instant. </p><p>"Wait!–"</p><p>Of course, the mud didn't just disapear, and you found yourself slipping after your left foot sunk into the ground, falling right over Craig's back resulting in the two of you rolling down, just like you did before when he had pushed you. Exept this time, you took him with you.</p><p>The fall seemed longer that the first one you've experienced, yet you didn't really feel it, foccusing on keeping your eyes shut and tightening your grip on the ravenette's arm. You heard him let out a growl of frustration, as the only thing he wanted to do was to get away from you; it didn't even seem like he minded the fall, it was just the fact you wouldn't let him go.</p><p>But despite that, he couldn't help but hold onto your body as well, scared that if he didn't, you'd both get hurt. He didn't forget about the fact you had already badly scratched your knee, as childish as it may sound, and none of you wanted the wound to reopen with the impact on the ground.</p><p>You two hit the same pile of hay that had stopped you the first time you fell, it hadn't buldge at all. It leaned backwards with the weight of two people, but it still stayed in place, the strands of hay heavier as they were soaked with water.</p><p>You thought Craig would immediately push you away as soon as you reached the bottom of the hill, but he did it in a surprisingly gentle manner, not in the harsh way you had expected it to be.</p><p>After your head stopped spinning, you finally opened your eyes, to see that he was already looking at you with his piercing blue eyes.</p><p>The expression he wore when he got out of his house seemed to be gone, forgotten, an apologetic look replacing it. </p><p>"I thought I told you not to grab me." He said, surprising you as you didn't think it'd be the first thing coming out of his mouth.</p><p>"You hate that." You replied, remembering what he had told you when you had tried to take the ring back from him, after you woke up on his bed.</p><p>He wiped a trace of dirt on his cheek with the back of his hand, and only now did you realize something was missing on the top of his head.</p><p>"Your hat." You simply said, looking at his messy black hair, wet strands glued onto his forehead.</p><p>He let out a sigh, looking at the ground. "Doesn't matter." He hadn't taken the time to grab it when he went back inside the house, foccused on the bag filled with the stuff you needed to travel.</p><p>"I like seeing you wear it." You told him, not really thinking about what you were saying before the words came out of your mouth.</p><p>He didn't want you to compliment him, or whatever it was you were doing; not now, because he thought he didn't deserve it. It wasn't the right time.</p><p>"Don't." His voice was soft, almost pleeding when he then said your name. "Forgive me." He apologized, averting his gaze when doing so, unable to look into your eyes any longer.</p><p>"No, I was acting stupid and you didn't know how to shut me up." You replied, sounding unsure about your response.</p><p>You wanted to ignore the consequences of the kiss as much as him, so you chose to play dumb.</p><p>He let out a short chuckle, but it didn't hold any real laughter or amusement in it. "That's not it." </p><p>You sighed. "I know."</p><p>"I'm sorry, it was a big mistake." He apologized again, running a hand through his hair in a nervous way. "Please, just forget everything."</p><p>You understood that despite what happened, he wouldn't explain or say anything about it other than ask that you forgive him. You nod in response, out of respect for him, you'll try your best to do as he asked.</p><p>You would have never expected things to turn out this way; but alas, there wasn't much you could do about it. If Craig wasn't willing to use words to let you know how he felt, nor were you really ready to hear it, you wouldn't be able to properly and responsibely do something.</p><p>You didn't even know what was going on inside your own head, so why try and learn what his thoughts were about?</p><p>Craig stood up, trying his best to remove most of the dirt from his clothes, while he gestured for you to do the same. No more words were spoken as you both walked away from the small hill, without having given the house you spent the last hours living in a proper goodbye.</p><p>You hadn't even noticed the rain stop, only realizing once you couldn't feel the cold drops falling onto your skin. You only hoped neither of you would end up getting sick because of the state you were in.</p><p>Craig was walking a few steps ahead of you, understandbly putting some distance between you and himself.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"I liked the kiss." You whispered, but weren't able to know if he had heard the four words or not. Would you even want him to know? It wasn't a good idea, and you were well aware he wasn't in the right state to hear such a thing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it's a pretty small chapter, enjoy anyway!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"The sun's starting to set." You hesitantly spoke, breaking the heavy silence that had settled in ever since you left the thief's house.</p><p>You glanced at him before looking back at the orange sky, the clouds from earlier now gone to reveal a reddish sun, half hidden by montains in the distance.</p><p>"We'll stop once we reach the forest." Craig replied, his voice deep after not having spoken for a long time. You were surprised he even answered.</p><p>You looked in front of you, tilting your head to the side to be able to see from behing Craig's figure; there was indeed a forest not too far away from you. Wouldn't it be dangerous to stay there for the night? Still, you didn't protest, and only kept following after him, you couldn't really go elsewhere anyway.</p><p>By the time you arrived, part of the sky had become dark, you could even see a few stars, yet they were very discreet compared to the bright colors on the other side, still illuminating the leaves of the tall trees from the forest. You stopped for a second to admire the sight in front of you, bending you neck to look up, a bird catching your attention as it cleaned itself the best it could, its beak hidden under its wing.</p><p>Only when you looked down did you notice the distance between you and Craig, the thief hadn't taken the time to wait for you; you wondered if he even noticed you had stopped. Furrowing your brows, you practically ran to catch up with him, scared you might loose him within the forest. No light would manage to slip between the thick leaves once the sun has set, the moonlight not strong enough to do so, and you'd end up lost in the dark without any guide.</p><p>Hearing footsteps behind him, Craig finally stopped in his tracks, glancing behind him to see you struggling to run with your dress, holding onto the fabric so it would be up your knees. He looked down at the dirty bandage on one of them; he frowned for a second, if you hadn't fell and injured yourself maybe none of this would have happened. He shook his head, feeling guitly for thinking that.</p><p>You let the fabric fall back over your legs, now that you had reached Craig. Quietly thanking him about having waited for you, you gave him a small smile as he started to walk again with you following closely behind.</p><p>A few minutes later, the sun had practically disapeared and you two were burried in the middle of the forest, surrounded by giant trees. You didn't feel safe here, it was as if anybody could be watching you and you wouldn't be able to see them, and they'd attack. You couldn't help but franctically look around you as it got more and more darker, until you suddenly bumped into something.</p><p>You were about to let out a yelp before you realized what you had collided into only was Craig's heavy bag, as he had stopped walking. "Here." He said, turning his head around to look at you.</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>He let his bagpack fall on the ground, sliding down his arms, not making any real sound as it ended up in mud. He kneeled down to open it and got what seemed to be a large penknife out of it, which he surprisingly handed to you.</p><p>You grabbed said weapon with a confused look, holding onto the old wooden handle.</p><p>"I'll go search for sticks and branches that aren't soaked with water, you stay here and wait for me." Craig spoke, standing back up and looking at you, waiting for a response to let him know you understood.</p><p>"Wait, what?"</p><p>"Just stay here (y/n), I'll be quick." He said, and was about to walk away until you grabbed his shoulder to stop him.</p><p>"I'm sure there's plenty of dry wood where we currently are!" You exclaimed, slowly starting to panick. "Either way we can do this together!"</p><p>Even if he didn't want to be near you for too long, it didn't mean he could just leave you on your own in the middle of a forest, in which you had never came in before. The awkwardness or whatever it was he felt was no excuse to put the both of you in danger.</p><p>"You'll be fine." He replied, frowning as he attempted to push you hand away, but you kept holding onto him.</p><p>"Craig, there is no way you're leaving me alone at night, deep inside a forest probably filled with incredibely bad things. Plus, how are you supposed to defend yourself if I keep the knife?" You said, raising the hand holding the sharp object.</p><p>"I'll only be gone for a few minutes-"</p><p>"That's stupid!" You exclaimed, both angry and scared. You really had a bad feeling about this.</p><p>He let out a sigh, making you raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Please, (y/n)." He firmly told you, staring straight into your eyes, hoping you'd understand.</p><p>You took a few seconds to reply. "I'm sorry, but it really isn't a good idea."</p><p>"I'm not going to leave the forest. I'll only be a few meters away."</p><p>Before you had the time to respond, he finally pushed you away, taking adventage of the fact your grip on him had softened for a second. He hurried to walk away, and for some reason you didn't go after him, your legs frozen in place.</p><p>Looking down at you feet, you held the penknife close to your chest, having no idea how you'd use it if you were in danger. As you kept staring at your feet, you suddenly felt the urge to use the small weapon.</p><p>Bending down, practically sitting in the floor, you held the expensive but partially ripped and damaged fabric of your clothes in a strong grip, and brought the blade close to the end of the damn dress that kept you from properly walking and running. You should have done that sooner.</p><p>You begun to cut it, ripping a good amount of the fabric off the rest of the piece of clothing. It ended up being just above your knees.</p><p>Perhaps you'll get in trouble for destroying such a pricey thing, but it was ruined anyway after your 'fight' with Craig. It wasn't like a single dress would ruin the kingdom's entire economy..</p><p>Letting out a sigh, you stared at the piece you just cut off, thinking about throwing it in the fire you'll light later when the ravenette will come back; at least you were now free to move easily.</p><p>You decided to sit on a nearby rock, big enough for you to be in a comfortable position, your legs crossed. You half regretted ripping your dress off, the cold air of the night blowing on your now exposed calves; but like with disposing of the useless fabric, you could only wait for the warmth of the fire. You just hoped Craig will be safe, and will come back to you soon.</p><p>Bringing his bag closer to you in order to keep everything in place, you chose to stare at the now dark sky and look at the stars, well, what wasn't hidden by the trees, in an attempt to keep you entertained. If you were lucky enough, maybe you'll manage to see a shooting star and make a wish.</p><p>Letting out a chuckle at your naiveness, you continued to admire the beauty of the night.</p><p>But it seemed that the world wasn't willing to allow you a nice and calm evening, as a loud scream was suddenly heard, coming not too far away from you.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>It sounded as if whatever just screamed had its throat full of water, (or even blood if you truly wanted to describe it coming from a monster) resulting in a gargling cry. Your entire body froze while your ears twitched at the disgusting sound, shivers making their way down your spine while your eyes widened. You first thought turned out to be about Craig; was he okay? You were scared for both his and your life right now.</p>
  <p>And when it came to you, what would a penknife do to a monster surely used to the forest, in contrary of you?</p>
  <p>Your entire body trembled in fear, yet you were frozen in place. You knew this damn forest wasn't a safe place.</p>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You tighly held onto the knife Craig had given you, you knuckles turning white from the strenght you used, palm red and marked by the wooden handle. Yet as you stared at the shiny blade, you thought about how this tiny thing would be practically useless against whatever was growling near you.</p><p>Heavy footsteps echoed around you, making it hard for you to guess where the beast exactly was; at one point you even thought you saw a black form hiding deep in the bushes, but the darkness of the night made your brain imagine stuff and you simply brushed it off, it was easier and more reassuring.</p><p>You could only wait, frozen in fear, hoping things wouldn't end badly.</p><p>How long had you been sitting on that rock? Perhaps you did not look appetizing enough, seeing as you weren't in the best state, covered in dirt. It probably helped hiding your smell.. Or what if it already ate Craig and so it wasn't hungry anymore??</p><p>You shook your head, this was a stupid thing to think about. Maybe what you heard wasn't even dangerous? Maybe it was just a small animal born with a monstrous scream? Sometimes Mother nature lacks ideas and just picks out randomly how some living creatures works when it comes to scaring away any threats.</p><p>As you begun to loose yourself in your thoughts, trying to make this situation more bearable for you, a faint reddish light appeared in the distance, moving up and down. You didn't see it at first, as your eyes were closed, daydreaming about whatever had been crossing your mind a second ago.</p><p>Footsteps were heard; you finally opened your eyes, a short gasp leaving your lips when you saw said light between the trees. Was it Craig? He probably lit a fire, and was coming back to help you.</p><p>No, this didn't sound like only one person was there, you could even hear a few words, but couldn't quite figure out what they were saying exactly.</p><p>Multiple people were walking towards where you were, and a few others growls were heard, meaning the beast was still around. You chewed on your bottom lip, still as scared as before but now curious and confused; hadn't these people heard the screams and growls as well?</p><p>If they were ready to fight, you could either hope they'd save you and Craig from danger, or fear they'd only make things worse. Sometimes people are way more scary than beasts hidden in the woods.</p><p>As you kept panicking and thinking about what to do, the light and footsteps only grew closer, and at one point your body moved on its own to hide behind the rock you had been sitting on; it was better not to let yourself be seen by both potential threats.</p><p>Either way, they'd surely take care of the drooling monster near you, and you'd have time to run away and find Craig, leaving this damn forest.</p><p>You were lucky you did so, even if it wasn't that great of a hiding place.</p><p>Claws were digging the ground, as the heavy footsteps from earlier became faster and faster, until something errupted from behind the trees. It had seen the light, heard the talking, and was now running towards the people.</p><p>Your head popped from behind the rock, to see what was happening, a bead of sweat falling down your forehead. Your eyes widened as your heart dropped, they were much closer to you now, and thanks to the fire, you were able to see both sides.</p><p>The beast ressembled a bear, but it seemed far bigger than a normal one; despite missing a leg, it was fast and strong, slicing the air with its claws. Its normal brown fur appeared more pale, as well as dirty and sticky, probably because of dry blood, and a few parts of its skin was exposed. Its overall appearance honestly made you feel uncomfortable, the smell coming from the 'animal' making you scrunch your nose in disgust.</p><p>But that weird kind of bear wasn't what made your heart beat faster, no. You recognized these men.</p><p>Soldiers from the king.</p><p>And the brave knight you had once talked to back at the castle, currently brandishing his signature sword to fight the beast.</p><p>"Stanley?" His name left your lips in a whisper, as you stared at the man easily taking care of what had been scaring you so badly, not even needing the help of the three other soldiers behind him</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p>------</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
  <p>So many thoughts were rushing through Craig's brain as he ran as fast as he could, jumping around to avoid rocks, exposed roots and trees. How badly he regretted wandering off too far away from you.</p>
  <p>He had heard the same horrible cries that had been frightening you, and he immediately turned back around, dropping what he was carrying for the fire on his way. Were you okay? He had given you a small weapon, thinking this forest wouldn't hide such dangerous creatures; you didn't even know how to properly fight...Of course, you never had to learn how to.</p>
  <p>Why was he so stupid and selfish? He groaned, panting as he continued to run.</p>
  <p>He furrowed his brows in confusion when he saw light in the distance, wondering for a second if you had done something. He tried to run even faster, scared for your safety, the same panicked thoughts from just a few seconds ago coming back to invade his brain.</p>
  <p>But when he was able to properly see what was happening, his body froze, before immediately hiding behind a tree, his back harshly bumping against the surface.</p>
  <p>The bear's body lied lifeless on the ground, a large sword planted deep into his back, along with other wounds. As he looked around the scene, not even paying attention to whom had killed it, he saw you sitting behind a big rock, looking at the corpse just a few meters away from you, removing the hands that had been covering your ears. You didn't want to hear the screams of pain from that thing, as disgusting as it looked, and as aggressive as it was.</p>
  <p>A wave of relief washed over him at the sight in front of him, glad you were okay. He just needed to come get you without getting the attention of–</p>
  <p>He was cut off from his thoughts when you suddenly got up, rushing towards the four men holding the fire.</p>
  <p>Craig's eyes widened as he glanced at the ravenette getting his sword back from the bear's corpse, readjusting his helmet while removing the blood covering the blade by wiping it over its fur multiple times.</p>
  <p>He frowned, clenching his fists, he knew the guy and hated him as much as he hated the elf King; Kyle's bodyguard, his favorite knight...Marshwalker.</p>
  <p>How hadn't he recognized the elves in front of him? He was stuck behind the tree, having to watch you walk towards them without any worries. Of course you'd do that, with these knights you felt safe, while he practically abandonned you in this forest, all because he was selfish and scared of his own actions.</p>
  <p>As Stan heard footsteps, he looked up, letting his weapon fall on the ground when he saw who was rushing towards him.</p>
  <p>"Princess (y/n)??" He suddenly exclaimed, immediately running to grab your shoulders, looking you up and down.</p>
  <p>It really was you; he never thought he'd find you in a forest so far from the castle, but it didn't stop him from letting out a laugh, happy and reassured.</p>
  <p>You let yourself fall in his arms, reassured by the familiar presence and the fact he took down what could've killed you just a few minutes ago.</p>
  <p>"Are you okay?" He asked, worried as he had seen the state you were in.</p>
  <p>The fancy dress you had been wearing the day you disapeared completely torn apart and covered in dirt, your usual beautiful (h/c) locks sticking to your face and in desesperate need of cleaning, just like the rest of your body.</p>
  <p>"Y-Yes." You let out, slightly trembling, both from the cold and from how scared you just were</p>
  <p>Stan smiled, letting out a loud sigh of relief. "I'm so glad we found you..We've been searching non-stop."</p>
  <p>You looked up at him, eyes wide open, as a smile slowly made its way onto your face. "You've been searching?" You asked, holding onto his sleeves. "So the king does want me back??"</p>
  <p>Craig bit down his bottom lip as he heard your words, the happy and relieved tone in your voice hurting him more than he thought it would.</p>
  <p>A part of him wished Stan wouldn't have appeared, but he knew this was stupid.</p>
  <p>It was meant to be like this anyway; he was just something you'd talk about during dinner, a small anecdote of your life, someone you'd forget. Hell, he even was the one who caused all of the problems.</p>
  <p>He's even been a jerk to you earlier, until the end.</p>
  <p>Stan looked at you with one eyebrow raised. "Of course, why wouldn't he?"</p>
  <p>"I..." You didn't finish your sentence, only letting out a chuckle to brush your earlier worries off.</p>
  <p>The ravenette turned around, picking his sword back up and taking your hand, ready to start walking away.</p>
  <p>"Wait!" You suddenly exclaimed when you felt yourself being gently pulled forward.</p>
  <p>"What is it?"</p>
  <p>"Cra–" You stopped yourself from saying his name, remembering he still was a wanted thief. Yet, you didn't even get to say goodbye.</p>
  <p>You didn't get the time to figure out how things were between the two of you..</p>
  <p>But, perhaps it was better this way? Afterall, Craig didn't even look like he wanted to see you again.</p>
  <p>But what if he was in danger?</p>
  <p>Before you could say something again, Stan spoke.</p>
  <p>"We can't waste any more time princess, we have to get you back in town, the king won't be able to wait any longer." He told you, smiling once again, pulling onto your hand to get you to walk with him.</p>
  <p>"But.." You muttered, then shook your head.</p>
  <p>Things were just meant to be this way.</p>
  <p>At least you thought so.</p>
  <p>The thief burried his hands inside of his pockets, looking at the ground as he heard Stan talking to you, the sounds of your footsteps slowly fading away in the distance.</p>
  <p>Something cold rolled against his fingers, making him confused for a second, before he remembered.</p>
  <p>"Fuck." He whispered, he forgot to give you your precious ring back. "It was ugly anyway." He spat, straightening his back and walking away from the tree.</p>
  <p>He saw his bag on the ground, and picked it up to put it over his shoulder, before he begun walking in the same direction where you two had entered the forest. </p>
  <p>He could finally go back home and just, sleep.</p>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You didn't feel good.</p><p>There was an uneasy feeling that just wouldn't leave you alone, it stayed stuck inside your heart, and in your mind. A mix of guilt, embarrassment, sadness...a bit of everything, really.</p><p>You felt lonely too, despite being surrounding by the soldiers from earlier; Stan was there, holding the reins of the horse you sat on and guiding it towards the town. It took you the entire night to get there, and the bright sunlight from the morning made you close your eyes, frowning.</p><p>They weren't taking the main road, of course, they didn't want people to see you. Even if they had no idea you were the future queen, they couldn't let them see you in such a state.</p><p>Still, you were wrapped and hidden in Stan's cloak, keeping your warm despite the sun being up already.</p><p>"(Y/n)?"</p><p>You heard your name being called, and you slowly opened your eyes again to look down at the ravenette, glancing at you with the same smile he wore when he first saw you in the forest.</p><p>"Yes?" You let out, waiting for him to continue.</p><p>"We'll be arriving soon, the town's just a few minutes away." He said. "You didn't get to sleep, so feel free to rest on the horse. We'll carry you."</p><p>"I'm afraid I might fall." You let out a quiet chuckle, tired, but kept awake by that uncomfortable feeling.</p><p>"Don't be." He grinned, then turned back around to keep walking.</p><p>You blinked; how was <em>he </em>not tired? He and the others have been walking for so long...</p><p>You didn't want to sleep anyway, as tired as you were. You furrowed your brows once again, this just didn't feel nice! In the end, maybe resting for a bit would help you clear your thoughts. For now, the thing you wanted the most was a nice bath, and clean clothes.</p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p>"Welcome back, your highness."</p><p>You cringed at the way the maids adressed you, bowing as you walked in front of them. You never liked people acting as if you were above them, it made you feel a bit uncomfortable; you were like everyone else, why be treated so differently?</p><p>Even if it sometimes felt nice to be taken care of, you could do things on your own.</p><p>Cutting you out of your thoughts, you heard the sound of splashing water near you, and you couldn't help but relax as you smelled the sweet scent of your favorite kind of soap. You wanted to just jump in the water and stay hidden underneath, between all the pretty and shiny bubbles.</p><p>"I'll leave your change of clothes right here." The maid gently said, as you glanced at the new fancy dress she had nicely folded on top of a random counter, next to a big mirror in which you'll be able to see how you look like.</p><p>"Thank you." You smiled, waiting for her to leave before finally being able to take out your dirty destroyed dress.</p><p>Craig's clothes had been far more comfortable, despite them being way too big for you. You shook your head, clearing your thoughts, before letting yourself fall in the bath with a sigh.</p><p>You took your time, carefully scrubbing off all the dirst stuck onto your (s/c) skin, frowning as you did so. Your hair probably was the hardest part, so many things were tangled in between your locks, it truly took you some time to manage to get them looking good again.</p><p>You almost slipped and fell when you got out of the bath, holding back a yelp as you held onto a nearby wall to help you stay on your two feet. That's the thing with fancy bathroom like this, covered in marble; they're such a safety hazard..You get water and soap everywhere.</p><p>The dress they gave you was brighter than the one you ruined, tighter too, which you didn't like. It was still very pretty of course, but you felt as if you'd have to control your breathing at some point if your didn't want to rip the chest area. But perhaps were you overreacting a little.</p><p>"Here we go again." You let out, staring at your reflexion in the mirror, turning around to inspect the small details in the fabric.</p><p>You wondered why you weren't as excited as you thought you'd be, but you only brushed it off. You were hungry anyway, you needed to go get breakfast.</p><p>Usually they brought it to your room, but you saw that some parts of the castle were being repared after the attack from the humans, so you weren't sure if your room was in a proper state. </p><p>Once again you shook your head, now walking towards the area where most of the maids and butlers were, trying to see where and when you'll be able to eat. It's funny how the castle became much more fancier after the war ended; before, there wasn't any servants, they were only hired when it was finally peacefull.</p><p>Not as peacefull as you thought apparently.</p><p>Your stomach growled, and you groaned in response, silently asking it to be quiet and patient. You only needed something simple, a fruit, or some eggs...yeah, just food.</p><p>"Prince–"</p><p>Another louder growl cut the person behind you off, making you blush in embarrassment as you hesitantly turned around.</p><p>"Yes?" You awkwardly smiled at Stan, as he let out a chuckle.</p><p>"You must be very hungry." He chuckled. "I'm sorry we didn't bring you something sooner."</p><p>You liked the knight, he's always been nice with you, never awkward. You didn't know if you could call him a friend thought, you've only talked a couple of times, and it mostly was to give a message from the King or receive one. That's how you got your ring aftera–THE RING!</p><p>You suddenly gasped, confusing Stan.</p><p>"The ring!" You exclaimed, looking at him before glancing down at your fingers.</p><p>"What's wrong with it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"I-I...I lost it.." You didn't really want to tell the exact truth.</p><p>He blinked, before nervously smiling. "Oh."</p><p>"God, what am I going to do..." You burried your face in your hands, groaning a bit too loudly.</p><p>"Now that I think of it, you didn't tell us what happened to you? We know you were taken by someone." He stepped closer to you. "Do you remember their face? We need to get them arrested. They surely stole your ring."</p><p>"U-Um.." You didn't really know what to say, there was no way you'd put Craig in a bad situation. "I don't remember, I-I was unconscious...I think they probably left me alone after taking the ring!" You faked panick, afterall, you knew very well where the piece of jewelry was.</p><p>You just hoped they'll believe you.</p><p>"Shit." Stan mumbled, thinking you couldn't hear. "It's alright, we'll find them eventually. The King wants them emprisoned as soon as possible."</p><p>You gulped. You wouldn't want Craig to be locked in a cell only because he had 'clumsily' helped you.</p><p>"Yeah..." You said. "Where a thief should be.."</p><p>"Exactly!" He exclaimed rather loudly, apologizing for it right after. "Let me escort you towards the dining room-" He said, gesturing for you to follow him as you nod in response.</p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p>You stuffed your face with the various dishes that were placed on the table; you thought you only needed something simple, but seeing all these kind of food prepared for you only made you hungrier.</p><p>Since you were alone, you didn't care about having any manners, you just wanted to eat.</p><p>Stan had left you on your own, saying he'll come back very soon after he takes care of something, as none of the people here were confident enough to let you alone for too long, after what happened. You knew there was a guard at the door, but at least they left you some privacy.</p><p>How will it be once you become a queen?..</p><p>You prefered not to loose yourself in these kind of thoughts, instead foccusing on the wonderful taste of the food you ate, occasionly chugging some water to help swallow things, almost choking at one point; that's what made you slow down, wiping your mouth with a handkerchief.</p><p>It felt as if you hadn't eaten anything in ages...</p><p>You drank some water just like you had already done multiple times, letting out a sigh before quickly drinking again.</p><p>All of the sudden, the doors slammed open, hitting the walls in a loud bang. You choked on your water, spitting what was inside your mouth over your empty plate.</p><p>Before you even had the time to regain your breathing, nor understand what had happened, you felt yourself being lifted from your seat by two strong arms wrapping themselves around your body.</p><p>"Oh God, I was so worried–" They let out.</p><p>You blinked, not really knowing what to do as you were being squished by someone, while you had barely stopped choking. Before you started to panick, not being able to move, your eyes fell on something familiar; a damn crown, on top of bright red hair which you had only ever seen from afar. Your heart dropped as you realized who had just taken you into a very tight hug.</p><p>Oh shit.</p><p>This was way too much. A curse left your lips as you felt yourself drifting away, fainting, your eyes closing on their own and your hands falling on the sides of your body.</p><p>He just had to do that so suddenly.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel like I'm rushing things a little bit but I just wanna get to the good parts–</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thinking about writing a verious/reader sp fic -_- I wanna write about parties and my other fav characters!</p><p>Sorry for any typos in this chapter, right now it's almost 5am and I'm feeling way too lazy to read it again to fix any mistakes, I need some sleep–</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A groan left your lips, as your eyelids twitched; you were slowly waking up, finding yourself laying down under the covers of a very fancy looking bed, body sinking into the matress.</p><p>Waking up on a bed you hadn't seen before? Meh, felt familiar.</p><p>For some reason, you didn't want to open your eyes yet, both from anticipation and simply tiredness, you had barely slept afterall. Yet the creaking sound of the door slowly being opened made you understand now was the time to get up; you couldn't just do whatever you wanted here.</p><p>You rolled around the bed to get on your back, using your hands to rub your face and try to wake you up a bit more, and also to fix the messy strands of hair falling down.</p><p>You knew he was the one who entered, and you weren't yet prepared to remember the embarrassing way you reacted to his embrace.</p><p>Take a deep breath (y/n), you can face him, he's not that intimidating, he seemed...nice? He did take you in his arms, supposedely very happy to see you, safe and back inside the palace. But the pressure from both being so close and talking to him was  h u g e, and you couldn't keep your heart from pounding inside your chest, as you tried to keep a straight face, despite your cheeks turning red.</p><p>You propped yourself up with your elbows, then properly sat on the bed, your back resting against the pillow.</p><p> </p><p>"You're awake." Kyle stated as he closed the door after him, and a smile made its way onto his face. He had to fight back the urge to hug you again, as the first time he did so litteraly made you faint. Still, he hurried to walk over to the bed, kneeling down to get at your level.</p><p>He immediately grabbed your hand with both of his, making you jump. Not only was the king down on his knees in front of you, but he just decided to plant a sweet kiss on the top of your knuckles, letting out what seemed to be a sigh of relief.</p><p>"You worried me." He said. "I didn't mean to scare you that bad."</p><p>You were sure that if you opened your mouth to speak, only a few incomprehensible stutters would come out, so you kept quiet for now and tried to deal with the sudden heat invading your body, slightly nodding as you waited for him to carry the conversation he chose to start. You couldn't look at him, so you foccused on your free hand, sweaty fingers clenched around the fabric of the sheets covering the -still clothed- lower half of your body.</p><p>"Are you okay?"</p><p>You nod again, chewing on your bottom lip. </p><p>He smiled, gently rubbing your skin with his thumbs. "I'm glad you're back."</p><p>You were too..Were you?</p><p>Suddenly, his calm and gentle expression turned into a more serious one as he frowned, his grip on your slightly tightening.</p><p>"I will find the one who took you away, and send them to rot in jail. If I could I'd kill them myself–"</p><p>You choked on your own breath right as the words fell from his mouth, and hit your chest to try and breathe again. "I-It's okay!!" You exclaimed, clearing your throat.</p><p>You did not want your friend to die or end up in jail.</p><p>"You need to drink something." He mumbled, luckily he thought about it and had brought some water with him, which he quickly handed to you.</p><p>You gulped it down, pleased with the refreshing sensation coming down your throat, and helping your dry mouth. Shyly thanking Kyle, you gave the now empty glass back to him, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand before speaking again.</p><p>"T-There's no need for you to do that, I'm good!" You almost let out a chuckled, but decided against it as it would sound too nervous or awkward.</p><p>"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Of course there is! You could have died!" </p><p>"But I'm okay." You smiled, glancing at him for a second before looking back at your fingers. "Please, I do not wish to cause any more trouble..." </p><p>"You're far too good for this world." The redhead sighed. "Then I'll double down the guards taking care of you."</p><p>"...Awesome..." You muttered to yourself with a nervous smile and a roll of your eyes.</p><p>Suddenly, you felt his fingers brush against your cheek, trailing down your jawline until they reached you chin, guiding your face so you'd look back at him. You blushed even harder at his actions, now completely red, wondering how he could act so smoothly or loving to you when you had barely met.</p><p>You flinched at his touch, which made him remove his hand in a second, worried he did something wrong.</p><p>He cleared his throat. "Am I making you uncomfortable, (y/n)?" He asked, trying his best not to, well, do that.</p><p>You blinked.</p><p>"Um..." You started, scared you'd hurt the king's pride or something equally as risky for you. But he seemed to be nice and kind, so surely it would be okay to be honest? "Well, you are kind of a stranger to me, your highness. It's...rather strange to be so close.." You still stayed polite, you were one of his subjects before being his fiancée afterall.</p><p>As soon as the words left your mouth, an awkward and heavy silence settled in between the two of you. You immediately started to panick, scared you had definitely done something wrong.</p><p>You had been staring at your slightly trembling fingers, but chose to glance at him for a second to try and figure out how exactly he was reacting to your response.</p><p>His eyes were wide opened, a look of shock clearly plastered on his face. Your heart pounded even faster; did he not expect you to be honest?</p><p>You saw him look down, then, confusing you, he let out a chuckle, though it didn't hold any humor nor amusement in it. You were practically holding your breath, waiting for something to happen, hopefully something good.</p><p>"I knew it..." He breathed out. "I knew it since the begining and I tried to think otherwise." He chuckled once again, but this time you could actually heard some kind of pain, or disapointment, hidden inside of it.</p><p>"I..." You didn't know what to say, as you didn't know what was happening.</p><p>He seemed hurt, really hurt. What kind of reaction was that? He surely couldn't be this affected by your honesty! Was he so embarrassed about holding your hand, and cupping your cheek..?</p><p>You were confused, and nervous, waiting for some kind of explanations.</p><p>"I was scared you'd forgotten about me, so I took too much time to actually come see you, but now that it's actually the case I..." He didn't finish, holding back a few tears trying to escape his eyes.</p><p>You furrowed your brows, both worried and still confused. "What do you mean?"</p><p>He suddenly grabbed your hands, sitting down on the matress next to you. The sudden weight made you lean closer to him, resulting in you getting even more nervous.</p><p>"Is there really not any memories of me inside your mind?" He asked, his tone sounding slightly desesperate as he gently squeezed your hands, waiting for a response which you knew you wouldn't be able to give.</p><p>"What are you talking about?" You furrowed your brows, feeling as if your head started hurting from the way he looked at you.</p><p>"Maybe you hit your head too hard?" He said, more to himself than to you. </p><p>"Can you please explain??" You exclaimed, tired of this already.</p><p>He sighed. Kyle had been searching for you for years, and you seemed to have forgotten about him so easily...it hurt. But maybe if he did tell you everything, you'd remember? You were, and still are, such an important part of his life, he couldn't just let you go now that he had you back.</p><p>"We spent our entire childhood together, (y/n)." He finally said. "Always glued to each other."</p><p>You frowned.</p><p>"I don't remember anything about my childhood I..." You stopped, eyes suddenly widening. "Wait."</p><p>Memories from your talk with Craig came back, and you easily put the pieces back together, hoping you were right.</p><p>"Do you know about [Childish Name]...?" You hesitantly asked, unsure.</p><p>His lips twisted into a wide smile, and he laughed "Yes! You said you'd be my knight in shining armor." He let out a small giggle as he recalled the way you two played together every day. He swore he'd never forget these  moments, and he never did, just like he promised himself.</p><p>Your eyes widened, and for a second you thought you'd faint again, if not for the feeling of his warm hands against your cold and trambling ones. Now your head definitely hurted, this was too much to handle at once.</p><p>Was the elf king really you childhood friend? The one you almost remembered back at Craig's?</p><p>Thinking of Craig only made things worse, even if he had nothing to do with what was currently happening. Your mind wandered off to your conversation with him, the fight, the kiss...God, you felt horrible; horrible and terribly confused.</p><p>On the other side, Kyle couldn't be happier; you did remember! At least a small part of it, but it didn't mean he wouldn't help you with the rest of your childhood. He was by your side, he will stay by your side, and help you.</p><p>"I-" He was about to say something, but you cut him off.</p><p>"Were where you? Why was I alone??" You suddenly exclaimed. "Why did you leave me if we were always together?"</p><p>You could feel yourself tear up at the thought of your supposedely first love abandonning you, and then just come back in your life without any explation, even blaming you for forgetting about him .King or not, right now you were angry, and needed answers, or simply needed to let it all out on him.</p><p>"Why did I wake up in a forest I didn't even know?!" You sobbed. "Why did you leave me for years when you're telling me we were so close!"</p><p>Kyle's eyes widened ar your words, and the way your expression had changed. Without any warnings, he pulled on your arms, making you fall on his chest so he could easily wrap his around your shoulders, keeping you close in a tight hug.</p><p>"You just disapeared one day." He said. "I searched, I swear. I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner...I don't know what happened."</p><p>You let yourself relax in his arms; for some reason, you felt more comfortable around him now than a few minutes ago. You needed something, someone right now, a presence, or a hug like this one.</p><p>You placed your arms on his back, holding onto the fabric of his clothes as you sobbed into the crook of his neck, the sweet smell of his perfume helping you relax.</p><p>He smelled expensive. But it was still distinctive from the others...It was really nice too.</p><p>Craig smelled nice too, but there was some trace of sweat in it, perhaps burned wood even, a smell that reminded you of work, of the countryside...while Kyle felt ...sophysticated? But also familiar.</p><p>In both pair of arms, you felt safe and warm.</p><p>But only Kyle would hug and reassure you now. Though the situation had been similar with the ravenette, Kyle was able to give you answers, when Craig could only help you foccus on something else.</p><p>In both cases, you found comfort in their presence.</p><p>"But I found you now, huh?" The redhead whispered, cutting you out of your thoughts. "We can make new memories together."</p><p>"I can't even remember your name..." You admitted, feeling ashame of it. </p><p>You knew it hurt him to know that, but he still tightly held onto you.</p><p>"It's Kyle." He replied.</p><p>"I'll remember that." You made a small smile.</p><p>"I hope you do." He chuckled.</p><p>You were still overwhelmed by everything that had happened in only a few days, but the only thing you wanted to do right now was stay in his arms, where you felt as if the world couldn't reach you anymore, where you could finally hide.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel like Kyle having met reader before was kind of obvious, but I still hope it doesn't sound dumb or anything...<br/>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! &lt;3 Thank you all for reading, means a lot.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. A/N</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hey everyone!</p><p> </p><p>I’m sorry this isn’t a chapter, but I just wanted to let you know that since school has started again I have a lot less time to write and update this story :(</p><p>I’m in the process of writing the next chapter, but it might take some time before I can finish and publish it.</p><p>I want to thank you all for reading this story, I have a lot of fun writing it :)</p><p>Wish you all the best! &lt;3</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry if there’s any mistakes, I’m a bit too lazy to read everything again :/<br/>Anyway sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The feeling of his hand in yours felt both familiar and strange, but either way, his pale skin pressed against your (s/c) one was warm, and you welcomed the sensation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You didn't even realize he had been holding your hand since you got out of the room you had been sleeping, as he wanted to guide you in the palace, make you visit, even though you had already done so the first day you had arrived here. But he seemed so happy about it, so excited to show you things the way he saw them, that you just followed everywhere he led you, before he decided to simply sit on a bench and enjoy the view from the gigantic garden he possessed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Though you didn't know if you should see this as some kind of date, a childish like game, or a simple outing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You chose not to think too much about it, you'd rather just enjoy yourself without having to stress over what was happening. Perhaps it wasall too fast and you weren't prepared, or perhaps it was meant to be and you finally found your place; either way you pushed all these complicated feelings and thoughts in a hidden corner inside of your brain, choosing to place your focus on the warm feeling of Kyle's hand.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"(Y/n)?" He softly called out your name, having noticed the way you dozed off for a second and not wanting to startle you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Hm?" You hummed in response, glancing at him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I was thinking about doing something, to...celebrate." The redhead said, scratching his cheek before turning his head to look at you. "Would you like that?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"If that's what you want then, yeah." You smiled. "What were you thinking about?" You asked, a hint of excitement in your voice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kyle was the king, he could do almost everything if he ever wanted, so you really wondered what he could be planning on doing, if it was simple or very elaborated, etc....</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"A ball." He hesitantly replied, voice almost cracking, as if he was scared you'd find the idea ridiculous and would just roll your eyes and leave. But really, he knew you wouldn't do that, it wasn't your type.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You blinked. "A ball? That sounds great!" You exclaimed. "Can we like, have masks and music and costumes, and cake! A huge cake–" You said the last part in a chuckle as you begun loosing yourself in your fantasies, having heard about so many balls scenes in those books you read before, fairy tales and love stories; you would love to be able to experience something like this, but you were scared of asking too much, so you apologized to Kyle for being perhaps a bit too excited.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"No, no," He reassured you, chuckling. "you can have whatever you want (y/n), I'll be happy if you are." He smiled. "So you like the idea?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I do!" You exclaimed, playfully punching his shoulder by reflex, before you quickly retreated your hand as you realized what you'd done. "Shi-"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Instead of the frown you expected, you were met by a laugh, a true, genuine one.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The redhead's eyes were closed as he widely smiled, shiny teeth showing from under his lips as he let out a few chuckles, laughter dying down. Jokingly, he rubbed the shoulder you had hit.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Man, you're way stronger than before." He said, giving you back the playful punch, as gently as he could, his green eyes softening. "I've missed that."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You blinked, how many times had you lost yourself in his gaze ever since you arrived? A nervous giggle left your lips, as you repositioned yourself on the bench you sat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A small silence settled in between the two of you as you thought about what you were going to say next, the words at the tip of your tongue yet still too confusing for you to say it out loud.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You wanted to ask him more about your past ever since you learned about the relationship you two supposedly had, but a part of you also didn't want to waste the time you could spend with him right now, and annoy him with old memories when you could make new ones.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The thought made you realize you practically forgot what you were here for; marriage.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Your face turned red, how could you forget...Yet, didn't it all seem weirder now that you're aware of the fact you had a past with the elf king? That's another reason why you were hesitant to ask more about before your memory loss.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shouldn't it be better to build a new relationship, leaning more towards a romantic path, rather than trying to remember your friendship with him in the first place? Wouldn't it make things awkward and uncomfortable for you if you remembered and realized you'd hate the idea of being married to him?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kyle was a very charming young man, you couldn't help but feel flattered whenever he catch your hand, or blush with the way he looks at you...Right now, you could say you wouldn't mind getting married to this guy, as stupid and reckless as it may sound.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You were already far enough, why stop here?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Because there was this other guy, whom you still had trouble getting over with, and had shared your supposedly first kiss with.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You shook your head, confusing Kyle for a second, trying to brush these thoughts away. You didn't need that right now, it was over, and there was nothing more to say about it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Are you okay?" He asked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You looked up at him; he was so caring too, always wanting the best.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Yeah, just lost myself in my thoughts for a little bit." You chuckled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He smiled. "What were you thinking about?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"The ball of course, I'm really excited!" You lied, still mentally fighting to keep the thief away from your mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kyle seemed very happy about what you said, relieved you enjoyed the idea.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You two then begun talking about small things, simply enjoying each other's presence, in a comfortable atmosphere, until the sun started to set, and it was time for you two to go back inside.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Wait-" You begun, stopping in your tracks just before Kyle could enter the castle. "I want to stay a bit longer, and watch the sunset...I'll see you later for dinner?" You said, almost hesitantly, afraid he wouldn't like the fact you didn't offer him to stay with you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You just needed a moment to yourself, a quick one.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Instead of getting mad, he smiled. "Of course. But please, get inside before it gets too dark." He told you. "If you ever feel in danger you can shout for a guard, there's a few of them in the gard–"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You stopped him before he could finish, letting out a soft giggle. "I'll be fine, don't worry."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He let out an amused breath through his nose, his hand still on the door's handle as he started closing it. "See you at dinner then." He said before disappearing behind the wooden surface.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You were actually surprised he didn't insist on staying, but brushed it off, going back to sit on the same bench you had just left. You scoffed, it was weird of you to want a moment alone while all you had been searching for in your life was some company...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Still, maybe you just needed to find a way to keep Craig away from your mind without Kyle worrying due to the weird faces you'd make. God, you felt ridiculous.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Fuckingthief–" You angrily mumbled under your breath, a sudden feeling of satisfaction from letting out your first 'bad word' ever since you arrived.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This couldn't be anything other than a silly crush, one that would disappear in a few days and hopefully never come back! You just found him to be very attractive, and the kiss had simply awoken something in you, but that was it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You were about to try and insult him out loud one last time when suddenly, a hand was slammed over your mouth, another one grabbing both your wrists and twisting them behind your back, forcing you to stand up and be dragged over to the bushes behind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You squirmed, trying to break free and alert the guard, but it only resulted in you getting kicked in the back of the knee, in a silent warning to get you to shut up and be still.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Apparently, there wasn't just going to be a silent warning. "For fuck's sake! Stop moving!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You mumbled something between the stranger's fingers, rolling your eyes while doing so, before you obliged. You could always find a way out of his grip.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His, because the voice sounded like a man, and it was in fact one; as you glanced up, you could see messy blonde hair, tan skin, blue eyes, and a few very light freckles on his cheekbones.</p>
<p>His clothes were brown, with some sand looking yellow, most of them were ripped, but repared with the help of a few stiches; he had covered himself with a black coat, also hiding his belt where multiple daggers were attached.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"If you scream, you'll regret it." He spat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You nod, your heart beating faster, but yet for some reason, you didn't feel threatened. The man let out a sigh, and while still maintaining his grips on your wrist, he let go of your mouth, allowing you to talk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not wanting to take any risk, you did as he asked and didn't scream.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Alright." Suddenly, his hard look changed into a much more friendlier one in less than a second, his lips twisting into a confident smirk. "The name's Kenny." He said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Are you really introducing yourself right now?..." You asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenny; you had already heard this name somewhere, you just couldn't really put a– oh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Your eyes widened in realization, and you couldn't stop your jaw from dropping as well. You could be making a mistake, but this guy was clearly human, and you had already heard about a Kenny with blonde hair and blue eyes, half of his face covered most of the time...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"You're–"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before you could finish, he talked over you, cupping his cheeks with his own hands, a small blush making its way to his cheeks. "Princess Kenny, yes." He said in a fake shy way, giggling after the words left his lips.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You couldn't believe that; she–he, was supposed to be dead!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"P-Prove it!" You exclaimed without thinking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Without any hesitation, he spoke. "あなたは本当に格好良いおっぱいとお尻を持っています、私はあなたが日本語を理解していないことを願っています!" He exclaimed, and you couldn't understand a thing of what he was saying, yet still knew only he could speak in this kind of language, you heard about the princess talking with some unknown words during battle when you talked with Stan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What are you...Aren't you..???"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Dead?" Kenny finished the sentence for you, visibly amused by your confusion. "I can't die."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Huh?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He waved with his hand, brushing it off. "But that's not important."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You furrowed your brows, growing more and more uncomfortable with the position you were in, and due to all of the questions popping up inside your mind right now. Without giving you any time to try and process everything, he kept talking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"To make this short-" He mumbled. "I need to buy myself a new life somewhere that isn't the elf or the human kingdom, and I got a pretty nice offer from the wizard king, I just need to bring the cute elf princess to him." He grinned, leaning down over your shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Oh for God's sake!!" You exclaimed. "I am NOT getting kidnapped again!!" You spat, raising your leg to slam your heel down on his foot, making him shriek in pain as he let go of you in a reflex.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before you had the time to run out of the bushes, he grabbed you by the waist, pushing forwards and making the both of you fall to the floor, him laying down on your back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Fuck!""Fuck!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You both groaned at the same time, Kenny biting down on his bottom lip to compensate with the pain in his foot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Don't make me knock you out!" He threatened, you rolled your eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Wouldn't be the first time!" You groaned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenny let out a sigh, desesperate by your behavior; he thought you would like, faint in his arms or something, that it would be way easier...Yet here he was, uncomfortably sitting on your back to stop you from running away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Look." He started. "Both humans and elves fucked up my life, you know? I enjoyed being a princess." He mumbled. "I'm just trying to make things right for me again."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"If I disappear, Kyle will be worried, and he won't let me out alone again when he finds me." You sighed. "I don't want him to feel sad a second time, and I certainly don't want to be kept inside for the rest of my life."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenny looked down at you, your cheeks pressed against the ground as you stared at a random leaf moving along with the faint breeze of the evening; you looked genuinely upset. Well, who wouldn't be when being kidnapped but- he felt bad.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yet feeling bad for you didn't mean he was going to give up a chance from the wizard king just so little Kyle wouldn't get sad and act like an asshole. Lucky for you, today, he felt like acting like a gentleman with a pretty lady.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Hey, listen doll, let's make a deal?" He said, leaning down again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You didn't say anything, waiting for him to keep speaking and say what was on his mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I bring you to Cartman, he gives me the money, and then I get you out of there without him seeing a thing, and disappear." He smirked. "How does that sound?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"It doesn't change a thing..." You muttered. "Plus, how can I trust the guy who's litteraly digging his knee into my back!!" You groaned, wiggling around to try and get him off of you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenny rolled his eyes. "God, you're hard to please." He sighed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Without any warnings, he spun you around in a second, grabbing your chin with his hand to hold your head in place, forcing you to look into his blue eyes. His playful grin at disappeared, replaced by a much more serious expression.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Sorry (y/n), but I'm not a hero anymore."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As soon as the words left his mouth, you saw a flash of his hand being raised in the air, before everything went black.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>——————</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>You were getting tired of constantly loosing consciousness and waking up in a place you didn't recognize.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Couldn't the author find better transitions for the story?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Your eyelids trembled, the loud sound outside of the tent you were kept in having woken you up, your head throbbing and making you whince in discomfort.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You tried to move your wrist, but understood they were tightly held together with some thick rope, just like your ankles were, everything secured around the cheap chair you were sitting on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>While your vision was still a bit blurry, your ear managed to properly hear what was going on outside.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I-It’s your turn to take care of the hostage!! The king said it was so you could prove yourself to be trustworthy again!” A nervous sounding voice exclaimed, words directed towards someone who simply groaned in response.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You mumbled something incoherent under your breath, annoyed by how loud everyone was when your head was hurting so much; Kenny hadn’t been gentle at all. It was weird, one moment he’s trying to play nice and gives you an offer, but then the second you start doubting his intentions he knocks you out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You furrowed your brows, still confused about the fact this guy had been dressing up as a human princess for so long...And that he had survived his supposed death.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lost in your thoughts and only half woken up, you hadn’t noticed the man who had just been scolded by his comrade entering the tent, mumbling a few curses under his breath.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Fucking pain in the ass–” His voice was suddenly cut short, you could hear the sound of something which you supposed was a sword falling to the ground, and despite barely being conscious, your heart dropped in realization.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Of course, you’d recognize his nasally voice anywhere</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kyle cut his hand with the sharp porcelain of the vase he broke, yet the rush of adrenaline running through his veins made him unaware of the pain, the deep wound throbbing as he chose to smash the remaining pieces with his foot. Only Stan noticed the drops of blood staining the orange fabric of his expensive clothes, the hem of his sleeves turning red.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A thought crossed the knight's mind; he was going to gift that very rare vase to Wendy, but guess he'll have to go with a box of chocolates for yet another year. His fault for leaving it on a random counter apparently.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He shook his head, that wasn't what was important right now, he had to deal with and calm down his best friend's anger and frustration, before he might punch a hole in the wall, or declare war over the humans again.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Kyle–" He called out his name only to be ignored. "Your majesty?" He used the title in hope he would react, but it was a failure as well; the redhead was just too caught in the moment, a string of curses escaping his mouth, despite him biting down on his bottom lip as hard as he could.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"For God's sake!!" He yelled, pausing for merely a few seconds, only due to the fact there weren't any porcelain pieces to break left. He groaned, already aiming for another random object placed on a near table, ready to completely destroy it as a way to deal with what he was feeling right now.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It's the second, </span>
  <span class="s2">goddamn</span>
  <span class="s1"> time. And he still wasn't prepared.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At least they left a note to let him know where you were, but it's almost as if they were mocking him; they probably were. He wouldn't have expected more from Cartman, of course he'd do something as petty as kidnapping you...God how much he wanted to kill the asshole.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I'll fucking burn his palace to the ground!!" Kyle exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Was faith that much against the idea of you two being together? So much, that it would take you away from him for the third time? Even so, none of this was going to stop him from getting you back.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Calm down!!" Stan kept trying to get the king's attention, going in to grab his wrist before he could break yet another thing. "Don't you think we should think about what we're going to do instead?!"</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kyle blinked; he was right, but he just needed to get some frustration out before being able to think clearly.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"..."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"We can't rush into it, it must be a trap, knowing Cartman." The knight kept going, glad he now had his friend's attention. "Let's send a spy and wait for them to get some information before we actually go. Is that alright with you, Kyle?"</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"You should be the king, not me." The redhead let out without any hesitation, glancing up to catch a glimpse of the wooden crown safely secured on top of his curls. "I’m having a tantrum while you were able to figure out how to deal with the situation so quickly–"</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Don't say that."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He didn't respond, truly not wanting to keep talking for now. It was decided, the elves will follow Stan's strategy to get you back, and as much as he wanted to avoid it Kyle was going to have to think about how he was going to deal with the way he'll handle the freedom you have.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He leaves you alone for half an hour only, and you're gone. It's not the first time you disappear when he turns his back, so will you really blame him for perhaps acting a bit more controlling towards you?...</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He won't do something as cruel as locking you up, of course, he's not a goddamn monster; he'll simply make sure you have something like bodyguards everywhere you go, it's just too dangerous to let you wander off alone.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He lets out a sigh, walking away from the mess he's made and feeling somehow guilty for the maids having to clean it, but he wasn't in a state where he could do it on his own, leaving them to do their job. Stan watch him leave, a bit confused to how he should feel about this; was it really a good idea to let him marry you? Maybe it's bad for his mental health, if you keep getting in danger and he worries, wouldn't it be better if you just both learned to leave without the other?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He shook his head, no, it wasn't a good idea, he knew it. He'll just have to do his best to protect you in order for his dearest friend to be happy.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">————</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Should you be feeling awkward, sad, or angry? You didn't know, was it even really important to react a certain way? You could just keep saying nothing, without trying to hide the fact you were purposely trying to avoid his blue eyes, knowing you might not me able to look away if they end up meeting your (e/c) ones.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You couldn't see the look on his face, so you didn't know if he was confused about how he should be feeling about this too; well, at least you certainly were aware of the fact he was surprised, judging by the way he suddenly dropped his weapon.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was weird to know he had a sword and not a dagger or something, but hey, not weirder than seeing him with the humans when he had told you he didn't want anything to do with them, despite being one. You let out a humorless chuckle, you shouldn't be surprise because afterall, you didn't know him that much in the end.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The sound of your voice caught his attention, making him snap out of his confused thoughts to focus back on your form, daring to take a few steps forward.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Your head was throbbing, and your wrists and ankles were tightly and painfully tied to the chair, to the point you knew that if it didn't change you weren't going to be able to handle it, and blood will stop running through your veins, the circulation being stopped by the harsh ropes. All of that to say that you weren't </span>
  <span class="s2">quite</span>
  <span class="s1"> in the mood for the conversation that was about to happen.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You mentally cursed at Kenny for bringing you here, yet found it in you to try and forgive him, knowing he surely didn't have any choice judging by the interaction you had with him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I, um..."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Craig's voice cut you out of your thoughts after he finally decided to talk, and you waited for a few more seconds to hear the rest of his sentence only to be met with complete silence, other than the background noises from the camp surrounding the tent you were held hostage in.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"That's it?" You spat without thinking, beyond being 'just' frustrated. Weakly, you dared to look up at his face, only to see him bent down at you level; you were taken aback for a second, but you quickly went back to frowning. "Is this really the only thing you're going to say?" You finished, now expecting a more proper response.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He sighed, running a hand through his hair and almost making his hat fall if not for him readjusting it; you frowned even harder—if that was possible—, you felt as if he was acting like he was the one having it harder in this situation, while you were tied to a chair, kidnapped by your kingdom's ennemies, only to meet the guy you were hoping to forget and see him on their side.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I didn't know it was you." He said, sounding genuinely nervous about it.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Sorry to disappoint." You rolled your eyes; oh how you wanted to be petty...You couldn't help it, the atmosphere, the situation and the very painful position you were in right now were all pushing you towards the edge. "I know you didn't want to see me again, but it wasn't exactly my choice."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">How you found the strength to talk this energetically, despite the headache, and uncomfortable way your arms were twisted behind your back was a mystery.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He furrowed his brows. "Fuck off."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You were disappointed, this kinda hurt; was this really the way he was going to reply to what you would say? What he </span>
  <span class="s2">chose</span>
  <span class="s1"> to say? </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"You fuck off..." You mumbled, the confidence you were feeling slowly slipping out of you under his harsh gaze, as you looked away, chewing on your bottom lip to try and focus on something over than the current state of your heart.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As he heard the small crack in your voice, he immediately regretted reacting the way he just did. "Wait, no, I..." He was so bad with words. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Your last interaction, back at his house, was still painfully fresh in his mind, and it was too hard for him to try and act normal in front of you, or even form a proper sentence; everytime he caught a glimpse of your watery eyes, he remembered these very awkward moments, and he wanted to slap himself to get his mind off of the stupid flashbacks.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The way he was willing to leave you on your own in a dangerous forest to deal with his stupid thoughts and feelings made him clench his fists and jaw as a way to try and cope with the memory.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Can't you just get someone else to torture me or whatever...?" You suddenly spoke. "I don't want it to be you."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Before he could attempt to reply you kept talking.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I don't think I even want to hear an explanation." You let out yet another humorless chuckle. "You lied to me, Craig."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He blinked; he lied to you? What did you mean?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I thought you weren't helping the humans, you said you were on your own." Slowly, you tried to stare into his eyes, only able to do so for barely a few seconds. "Were you planning to hand me to them too?"</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I didn't. This had no connection to the humans." He immediately replied, hating the fact you misunderstood his intentions; he didn't want you to think badly of him, even though he was convinced it was probably too late for him to redeem himself in your eyes. "Stuff happened..." He mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He chose to sit on the ground to be in a more comfortable situation, thinking that since he was going to stay longer than what he had intended to when he didn't know the prisoner was you. Couldn't the other assholes tell him? Was 'hey the elf princess if there' too hard for them to spell?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"You don't have to explain yourself." You forced a smile. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be blaming you, you have your life and reasons, I have mine. Even if it consists of getting kidnapped by people who hate my fiancé."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His eyelid twitched at the mention of the word fiancé, but he quickly brushed it off in favor of the more painful feeling of seeing you going back inside your shell, putting the act back on in front of him out of all people.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He took you being comfortable enough around him for granted, and he was sure he fucked up. But it wasn't his fault he caught feelings, how was he supposed to deal with all of this on his own, when he was the least suited for this kind of thing?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Could you get someone else to torture me or whatever? I'd rather it not be you." You hesitantly repeated as if he hadn't heard the first time, not knowing how to act and what to say.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Huh?" He let out, still half lost in his thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You pressed your lips into a thin line, the weight of the atmosphere heavy on your shoulders, adding itself to everything else, making it so you were unable to keep carrying the stressful conversation anymore.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Craig mentally panicked, obviously hiding it by keeping his emotionless expression on, despite the small bead of sweat rolling down his forehead, or the way his hands clenched around the fabric of his coat betraying him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"No." He said. He was fighting hard to find the words, but somehow, he managed to form proper sentences again. "I want to explain myself, because it's you."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You chose not to say anything until he was finished, and he appreciated it, both of you thinking any interruptions would make him loose the train of his thoughts. He nod, more to himself than to you, then spoke.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I don't know what I was thinking but..." He cleared his throat. "I decided to come back to the humans after you left- It was an impulsive thing to do but I joined Cartman after betraying him during the war. I don't even know why he agreed to taking me back."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Your breathing was calm, despite how stressed you were, and you didn't know that but it somehow helped him relax, the sound of your steady breaths making him feel as if he shouldn't be rushing through his explanations, that you were closely listening without any judgement.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"It felt so weird when I came back to my house, and I wasn't in the best state..." His lips twisted into a very small smile, but it didn't take long for you to understand it was out of stress, and absolutely not a genuine one. "After what happened, I just needed change. A very consequent one that is."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You were impressed by how well he was expressing himself; it must be really important to him if he manages to get it off his chest.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I...Maybe I missed fighting and stuff? Messing with elves and fucking with Kyle, mostly." He couldn't deny it, one of the reasons he came back to Cartman was so he could hurt the redhead however he could, as petty as it sounded. Craig let out a sigh, his voice suddenly sounding more quiet for what followed. "I just needed something effective to stop thinking about you."</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You blinked, surprised by his last sentence; it seemed like he was now finished, so even though you were at a loss for words at first, you allowed yourself to react out loud.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I'm sorry." Was the first thing you said. "I'm sorry I'm making your life harder, if I could I'd erase myself from your memo–"</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"No." He interrupted, frowning, of course you'd say that, of course you'd apologize. "What happened to you being angry just a minute ago? I don't want that bullshit 'I'm sorry' stuff." He said, being as blunt as he could.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You chewed on the inside of your cheek, thinking about asking him to loosen the rope around your wrists and ankles before you kept talking, the tightness and pain growing more and more hard to deal with. He seemed to understand without you even having to say a thing, because in a second his hands were on the restraints, twisting the rope around in a way where you could finally feel the blood rushing back into your veins, your sore body thankful for his action.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Thank you." You breathed out, voice barely above a whipser. Your skin was burning, and marks were left, but you still felt a lot better.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He nod, now waiting for your conversation to keep going, too invested to let you go this easily; it's been too long for him, and he needed to hear you talk to him again, to tell him he fucked so he could move on—he thought—more easily, or in a dream like scenario, forgive him and even wish to keep seeing him, allowing him to let out the breath he's been holding as he feared what your next words were going to be.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Did you really go this far to forget about me?" You let out what you've been dying to ask, confused, sad, about where he was willing to go so you could simply disappear from his life. You were devastated by how much you affected him, and even though he didn't want you to, you blamed yourself for all of it.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Craig blinked, then looked away.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I guess." Here he was, trying to look indifferent despite everything he just confessed. "But, now that you're right here I realize how stupid this was." He sighed, burying his face in his palms, rubbing his skin.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Than get me out of here you idiot." You spat.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Craig let out another sigh. "Yeah, I know I should lea– Wait what?"</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Untie me and get me out of here!"</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You didn't want to waste any more time with feeling sorry for the both of you, you'll have plenty to talk about everything with him once you escape the humans. You knew you had to push him a little, so you did your best to get him to react.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"How am I supposed to–"</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"For God's sake Craig you're a thief!" You exclaimed, not too loud so the others wouldn't hear. "You're supposed to master these type of skills." You sighed.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Excuse me for feeling a little rusty after so long...” He mumbled. “Even if I untie you, there’s a lot of knights outside, I can’t get past them that easily (y/n).”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You blinked, lost in your thoughts as you tried to find a way to escape. The ravenette waited for your response, uncomfortably tapping his fingers against his knee, carefully listening to the sounds outside, in case someone were to enter the tent you two were in.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What if you act like you’re taking me to see the king?..” You hesitantly said, not sure about the idea, but not really knowing what else to do.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Craig looked up for a second, thinking, before his blue eyes fell back on you. “No.” He simply said.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Maybe if you say you’re gonna tell him you can’t find a way to wake me up?” You raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I doubt it’d work.” He replied with a sigh. “We should wait until nighttime I guess, Just play along until I can safely get you out of here, and betray those assholes again.” He slightly smirked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You nod in response, before clearing your throat.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You know..” You mumbled. “Even if it’s like this, I’m happy I get to see you again.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the wait! I feel like the writing isn’t as good as the other chapters for this one so I apologize, but at least the story continues!<br/>If I follow my original plan, we shouldn’t be too far from the end haha (well there’s still gonna be some wait, because idk when I’ll be writing and posting the next chapters)<br/>Thank you the nice comments and for reading the story, enjoy! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Craig's been inside for an awful long time, is he okay?" Butters asked Kenny, as he gently swinged a sword around to keep himself occupied.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Maybe he's busy.." The blonde snickered at his own suggestive joke, mimicking quotation marks with his fingers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The paladin looked at him with an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Of course he's busy, he's interrogating her?" He said, staring at his friend as if he was stupid.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"No, I meant– Ah, forget it." He sighed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before he could find another subject to talk about, trying to brush off his failed attempt at making Butters laugh, he heard the sound of fabric being moved around, glancing at his right to see the ravenette exiting the tent you were kept in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"She's a real pain in the ass." Craig faked annoyance, rolling his eyes at the two, about to walk away when luckily, Butters did stop him from doing so.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"You can't just leave like that!" He scolded, grabbing the taller man's shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Why don't you take care of her instead? I'm done." He spat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I volunteer." Kenny interrupted, raising both his hands with a smile, wiggling them childishly as he did so. "I have to apologize to her."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Butters would have been way better to handle, but with the effect of surprise, maybe you'll be able to manage? Craig knew this was a risky thing to do, but you two couldn't think of anything else; if he stays, it should be easier?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Do whatever you want." He rolled his eyes again, before turning his foccus back onto the other. "Go tell Cartman I want a better job, I'm not suited for hostages."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"H-Huh? Why should I tell him?" He stuttered out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Just go." The ravenette glared, trying to intimidate the blonde as much as he could—it was easy anyway—only to get him away from here. "I'll stay with the princess."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I thought she was annoying you?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I was talking about Kenny...Just hurry up already!" He groaned, scaring him off with a short gasp.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Alright, alright!" He exclaimed, walking away with a frown, swearing that it was the last time someone was going to talk to him like that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"You're so mean to him..." Kenny pouted. "Let's go back, I guess."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ravenette nod, following after him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As soon as Kenny entered the tent, you slammed the chair over his head, hoping it'd be enough to knock him out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Craig had to stop himself from actually letting out a yelp of both fear and surprise, his eyes wide open at what just happened; once you were sure the blonde was on the ground–and still alive–you allowed yourself to sigh in relief.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What the hell??" He exclaimed in a loud whisper. "When I told you to knock him out, I thought you'd take a piece of wood from the back, not the actual chair!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You blinked, frowning. "Well it worked, didn't it?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What if someone heard?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Then we have to hurry up!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quickly, you got down on the floor, grabbing the hem of Kenny's shirt and pulling it up, removing it from his unconscious body.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"You're way too okay with this." Craig said, watching you take the rest of his clothes in a rush, crossing his arms. He did not like watching you undress another man.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"It's an emergency!" You rolled your eyes before waving him off with your hand. "Now turn around so I can change, hurry up."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He did as you asked, the ghost of a blush on his cheeks. "You hurry up."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You proceeded to wear Kenny's clothes, struggling to change him into your own; you felt ridiculous doing so, but you didn't know what else to do. If you and Craig were fast enough, you could manage to leave without anyone noticing yet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This looks so ridiculous–” You would have laughed if not for the supposed seriousness of the situation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Of course it does. At least he’s used to wearing expensive dresses...” Craig sighed, turning back around; he raised an eyebrow at your appearance, seeing Kenny’s far too big clothes on you was a very weird sight to see.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t have the time to make a snarky remark before you spoke. “Let’s not waste any more time, help me tie him up to the chair!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m surprised it didn’t break when you fucking slammed it onto his back.” He mumbled, walking over to the drooling unconscious blonde, lifting his body up by his arms while you placed the wooden chair back where it was, picking up the ropes Craig had previously removed from your own body.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In a rush, you tied both his wrist and ankles; it was still an extremely weird situation, which you were lucky to have no witness to.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Put the hood on, we’re gonna sneak out.” He smirked. “My special skill.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You rolled your eyes, but couldn’t stop the smile forming on your face; it felt like a game, despite the potential danger behind the opening of the tent. He gestured for you to follow after him, furrowing his brows in confusion when you puffed out your chest in an attempt to look more masculine; a simple stare from him made you understand you had to stop.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>————-</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There’s no way this worked!” You exclaimed in a breathy laugh, watching the human’s camp from afar, hidden behind a tree with your friend by your side. “They didn’t notice at all!!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Doesn’t matter, you’re free now.” Craig said, dusting his clothes in a exaggerated way, before focusing back on you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few seconds of silence passed, and you turned around with a smile, staring right into his blue eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He avoided your gaze. “I didn’t do anything.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh come on!” You let out a chuckle, playfully hitting his back. “You got me out of here! And, now that I’m free until the next time I get kidnapped, you know what I really want to do?” You said, successfully catching his attention, judging by the way his eyebrow raised.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What?” He asked, curious.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This.” You said, almost closing your eyes as the word fell from your lips.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You smiled, leaning closer to him, in a painfully slow manner; the reaction was immediate, his cheeks turning red in a second; but he barely had the time to stutter a ‘what are you doing’, when he felt a sudden pain in his cheek, head violently turning away from you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You winced in pain, shaking your throbbing hand to give your palm some kind of relief as you let out another breathy laugh. “This felt good!” You exclaimed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It took a few more seconds for Craig to actually register what had just happened, before he glared at you, vigorously rubbing his red stinging cheek.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the hell??” He almost yelled. “Did you just fucking slap me?!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah.” You casually replied, still trying to ease the pain; you’ve put a bit too much strength in this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What was that for?” He growled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Needed to get that out, for all the reasons I gave you when we talked inside the tent.” You replied, still smiling. “I want to apologize, but truth is I’m not sorry at all.” You giggled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I hate you.” He mumbled in a groan, letting himself slide down the tree trunk, sighing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No you don’t.” You teased, bending down to get at his level.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Without any warning, he grabbed your collar, pulling you towards him in a suffocating hug, to which you gasped in surprise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You slapped him, and he hugs you; kind of masochistic coming from him?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Craig?” You called out his name, but didn’t really know what else to say.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He did that without thinking, but decided he was tired of doubting everything he ever did with you; a hug wouldn’t hurt? For once, he could have something, right?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ve missed you.” He breathed our, giving you a squeeze. “Let me have my weak ass moment.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Pft–” You giggled, then smiled, wrapping your arms around him. “Alright.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With a sigh, you let your head fall onto his shoulder, enjoying the warmth from his body, while he did so with yours.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ve missed you too, Craig.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I can't follow you, (y/n)."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You looked at the ground, fighting back the urge to frown. "Right." You said under your breath, a nervous grin forming onto your lips.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I'm not going to go back to Cartman's either." Craig cracked his knuckles with a quiet groan, avoiding your gaze. "It's gonna be boring at my place, but I'll get home anyway, it's peaceful and safe, I guess."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"It is." You quickly replied.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You didn't know what else to say, the silence between the two of you growing unusually awkward, making you scratch the back of your neck as a way to find something to do with your hands. He wasn't doing better than you, readjusting his gloves for the fourth time in a row, having no idea what else to do.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You didn't want him to leave so soon after you've just been reunited, after the talk you two had...Craig was your very first friend, maybe more, but you'd rather not think about it yet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Um-" The ravenette mumbled under his breath; he hated being nervous. He desesperately tried to get the words out of his mouth, but for some reason it was harder than usual.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You continued to scratch your neck, scalp, etc...; until your skin burned. You still didn't want this to finish too quickly, hesitant about leaving so soon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I have money on me." Craig suddenly blurted out, taking a step forward. "I— we can spend it, in town. Like, do something, you know." How awkward.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You perked up hearing his words, blinking a few times while locking your gaze with his. "...Are you sure it's safe?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Totally, yeah." No, he did not. "Trust me."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The confidence in his little smirk is what got you to agree; that, and the fact you were so eager to spend some more time with him before things had to go back the way they were supposed to. "Then, if you don't mind, I'm starving. Buy me some food!" You exclaimed in a giggle, jumping over to him and grabbing the hem of his sleeve, already pulling him with you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Gold digger." He said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Says the thief."</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>——————</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sweet, spicy, hot, cold— you’ve tried it all today, stuffing your mouth and eating whatever Craig was buying, until you physically couldn’t take another bite anymore, stomach screaming for you to leave it alone. The ravenette is holding a cheap sandwich wrapped in a piece of white tissue, tossing it inside his bag for later; all this time he’s only ate a few bites of what you chose, or drank a few beers without even getting the slightest bit tipsy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why did you let me do that..” You groan, curled up into a ball, feeling like throwing up to get rod of all that weight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You two were sitting near a big lake, the water moving around in small waves from the faint breeze of the wind, which also gently tickled your skin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I thought you were starving?” He scoffs, poking your cheek repeatedly, until you brushed his hand off with a gentle slap. “So much of my money’s inside your belly.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You chuckled at his words. “Eh, that rhymes.” You say.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Gonna hang that quote up on my wall.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“With a drawing of me too, I need some credit.” You look up at him with a smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Don’t want your ugly face on my wa—” You don’t let him finish, playfully punching his shoulder as you straighten  up from your previous position. “Sorry, sorry...” He quietly laughs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Silence falls again between the two of you, but this time, it wasn’t heavy or awkward, just peaceful and comfortable. You could hear the drops of water splashing onto the grass, the sound adding to the relaxing atmosphere.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Still, you let out a sigh. As much as you enjoyed this day with Craig, you felt guilty for not going straight back home for Kyle’s sake, but you couldn’t miss the opportunity to properly bid your friend goodbye. Though you did not want to.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“When will you get married?” Said man suddenly ask, as if reading your thoughts, question coming out of nowhere and interrupting the peaceful silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I...Soon, I guess.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He only nods in response. You can’t forget about what happened with Craig as well, but you have no idea how to deal with those kind of feelings; you needed more time, unfortunately you were not allowed such luxury.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t want to never see you again.” You say in a whisper.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You can leave him, he can’t force you.” He hesitantly says, feeling just a tiny bit bolder about making his intentions clear, but still ending up being pretty vague.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...” You don’t know what to say.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>An idea pops in your head, but you’re not sure of it’s a good one, so you dare not think about it yet. Only when Craig makes a move to stand up so suddenly do you look back at him in a rush, a little panic visible on your face. You’re scared of having to watch him leave again, so you blurt out the few words that had been on your mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Be a guest at the bal!!” You exclaim.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He raised a brow in confusion, wondering why you were trying to hold him back by grabbing his wrist when all he wanted to do was stretch his legs for a bit. Craig blinks while staring at you. “Um, what?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You clear your throat. “There’s gonna be a bal at the castle, a big one and— and I want you to be there...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He doesn’t waste any more time before he replies, looking away to avoid your hopeful eyes. “I can’t, I’m a criminal y’know.” He tries to chuckle, but no sounds came out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Everybody will be wearing masks and costumes!” You insist, grabbing his hand with both of yours. “No one will recognize you, and you won’t have to stay for long...I want you to be there, please.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sighs. “...Do you really?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Of course I do.” You nod vigorously.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Then, maybe I can make it.” The thief smiles when he sees you getting more excited, grinning from his response. “But I’ll be unrecognizable. You’ll have to find me on your own, because I can’t risk getting caught.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So it’s like a game?” You ask, hint of playfullness in your voice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s like a game.” He repeats in agreement.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“As long as you come, I’ll be happy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ao3 isn’t letting me reply to comments anymore? Zljeizke this sucks</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everything's been happening so fast, far too fast for you to be able to really understand and realize.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You had managed to get back to the castle on your own, Craig insisting on accompanying you at least halfway there, your safety his principal argument. You agreed, and got back home in less than half an hour.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You thought Kyle would be relieved, take you in a hug and talk about how much he hated Cartman and his men, and then you'd forget about it and perhaps talk about each other and various stuff around dinner. You wanted to know more about your past relationship, afterall.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But that's not what happened, much to your surprise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Kyle, I'm—" He cut you off before you could even manage to finish your sentence, eyes wide open as he watched Stan take you to his room. Only then did you see the nervous look the knight had on his face, rushing to exit the room as soon as you had arrived.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"How the hell did you get back here on your own?" He asked, visibly angry and surprised. His sudden reaction took you aback, and you found yourself being reluctant to answer; you stupidly didn't think of how you were going to explain everything to him, convinced he wouldn't have asked. What a fool you must have looked like.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I..." You gulped, feeling uneasy. "Someone helped me, they untied me and I ran...I don't know why, or who they were..." Technically you weren't lying, you were just choosing not to say who that person was, and that you knew nothing about their intention.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"How kind of them, humans are so nice." Kyle replied, the barely hidden sarcasm in his voice making you feel even more uneasy, confused as to why he reacted this way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I don't know what more to tell you, I'm just happy to be back!" You exclaimed, almost in defense. The redhead took a few steps closer to you, until he was able to pinch your chin between his fingers, forcing you to look into his eyes. You let out an audible gasp of surprise, it was the first time he touched you in such a rough manner, unusual for someone like him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Are you?" He asks, but it was clear he wasn't expecting an answer. "You know, I've had everything prepared in less than a day, only for guards to tell me you suddenly got back here on your own."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You furrowed your brows. "Why...Why are you being weird like that?" You asked, stepping away to free yourself from his grip. "Shouldn't you be happy I escaped without you having to do anything?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I've had time to think about something, you know."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"..." You didn't say anything yet, waiting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"(Y/n), do you really want to stay here and marry me?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Huh?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I feel like you're not being kidnapped, but are running away from me." He explains. "I'd rather you say it now, and save us from wasting both our time."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Your eyes widened in surprise; you couldn’t believe he was asking that. Kyle is sweet, and so hearing such words coming out of his mouth took you aback. You furrowed your brows, wishing to look confident as you respond.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But what would be your answer, exactly? Truth is, he may have told you that you were friends before, but it doesn’t mean you remember. You know nothing of him now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kyle saw the way you started to hesitate, and he felt his heart drop in realization; you were doubting the proposal. But could he even blame you? He should have been expecting this from the start, but had been too blinded by his own feelings, and so he didn’t take yours in consideration enough.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He let out a humorless chuckle, running a hand through his red curls.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Kyle, I—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sorry for being selfish.” He cut you off. “You can leave, if you truly have no desire to stay.” He sais half heartedly, unable to look into your eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This change in behavior came out of nowhere, and you were at a loss for words, confused. You were unsure about what you wanted, but you were well aware of what you didn’t want. And you didn’t want to be left alone again, you didn’t want to be separated from him when he was the only link you had with your past.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before you could say something in protest, wanting to get more time, he spoke again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But if you don’t want to leave, then you must stay inside until I know nothing will happen to you. I can’t bare anymore kidnapping or disappearances.” He told you, speaking in a firm tone as he took a step closer to you. “Give me a chance to make you fall in love with me, and then, I can guarantee that you’ll never want to leave.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He reached for your hand, holding it tightly in his. You’re still confused, the feeling of your heart beating faster too overwhelming for you to care about anything else.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can be pretty possessive. I really hate when people mess with whom I like.” He whispered, bringing your knuckles to his mouth; he didn’t kiss it, only brushing his lips against your (s/c) skin. Your cheeks heated up at the action, but you were unable to pull away from his touch, even in embarrassment. “I really do love you, (y/n). That’s why I’m letting you choose.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“K-Kyle.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You can leave and never hear from me again. I’ll only make sure you live comfortably and safely in town.” He smiled, yet his brows were furrowed; it was clear it wasn’t what he wanted, but he still wished to let you decide what you thought is best for you. “Or you can stay and marry me, and I’ll promise I’ll give you the best years of your life, as you deserve. I’ll respond to every single one of your needs, and I’ll make you love me as much as I love you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I do like you, Kyle.” You bit down your bottom lip. “I can’t go as far as love, I’m sorry...There’s so many things I need to figure out and...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m patient.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t want to leave, though!” You exclaimed, intertwining your own fingers around his. “I want you to show me what you wish to. I want to spend more time with you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He furrowed his brows again, looking almost sad. “Are you sure?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But I don’t want to be pressured.” You shook your head, before you looked down at the ground. You hesitated before speaking again, embarrassed, your voice barely above a whisper. “If you can make me fall in love with you, then do so.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His eyes widened just slightly, before he smiled and chuckled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad.” He pulled you into a hug, and you let out a quiet yelp in surprise, face now pressed against his chest. “You won’t be disappointed, I promise.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m not going to be mad or anything, you know...” You smiled, though your face was still hidden from him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Remember the bal I talked about?” You nod. “I’ll hold it soon. You decide whatever you want, I’ve already sent a bunch of fabrics in your room for you to choose.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“For what?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He pulled away from the hug to be able to look into your eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“For a dress! I’ll have someone make it the way you want, and we’ll all be wearing a mask, just like you asked.” He told you, running a finger over one of your cheekbones, making your face burn even more, nervous. He suddenly grinned. “I think it can be fun if you search for me in the crowd. I’ll be unrecognizable.” He chuckled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Now you have two men you’ll need to find there.</p>
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